Identity
by Qym
Summary: AU - Kigo - Kim Possible is your average college student trying to keep her life together. She's got everything she thinks she wants - a quiet life, a loyal best friend, perfect grades, loving parents. But something just had to go wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Update Schedule: **Will be once a week on Saturday evenings.

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><p>Chapter One<br>In Which a Hero is Born

When her alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. Kimberly Ann Possible was already awake, packed for her last day of classes, and sitting at the kitchen table. Her backpack leaned against the front door of her apartment – though most freshman were required to live in dormitories on campus, her parents were on the Board of Trustees for Go State University and had pulled some strings for her. In the second, smaller bedroom, her best friend snored onwards. He had managed to schedule all of his classes for after lunch, though she wasn't sure how.

She ate her breakfast slowly and watched the news with the sound turned off. At the bottom of the television screen the subtitles trailed just after the movement of the anchor's lips. A fire had broken out on the south side of the city, but it had been in an abandoned apartment building. There had only been a small population of homeless huddling inside when it started and all had been evacuated successfully. The police believed the cause to be a discarded cigarette that was still smoldering.

Thankfully Dr. Drakken had been nearby – the anchor's face broke into a wide, fake smile. The blue-skinned superhero used an invention of his creation to blast the building with bubbles that quelled the rising flames. The image on the screen flickered to the good doctor standing in his traditional blue jumpsuit. The dark scar across his eye stood out in stark contrast with his skin. Kim turned the volume up a few notches. Though she disliked the superheroes and super villains running rampant in Go City, she appreciated a job well done.

"Of course, my genius was able to easily take care of the problem." Dr. Drakken boasted. He stood with his hands akimbo.

The onsite reporter tilted the microphone back towards herself. "You got here so quickly. How did you know?"

Drakken's eyebrows ferreted together and he looked perplexed for a moment. He tightened a gloved fist. "Oh, I was just around and saw the smoke. I was busy, you know, saving people with my giant intellect."

Kim snorted. While Drakken and his intelligence were indeed a boon, she couldn't help but feel slightly derisive. Many of the students she worked with on a daily basis could probably outthink the superhero. Although her modesty would never let her admit it, she knew she was one of those smarter than him. But she had to give it to him – instead of keeping his talents to himself, he was out there night after night protecting the city.

As his interview wound down, Kim muted the television once more. She spooned the last few pieces of her cereal into her mouth and crunched it thoughtfully. The rest of the news was a wash of global problems and special interest stories. At seven o'clock, Kim grabbed her bag and headed out to the school's gym.

At that early hour, only a few other industrious youths were working out. Kim grabbed a spare treadmill and began her daily workout – a 20 minute run followed by 20 minutes of weight training. Although she left cheerleading behind in high school, she stayed in shape simply for the way it made her body feel. One month of inactivity after she graduated left her feeling lugubrious. Her temper had swerved from good-natured to hot-headed. She had dressed her brothers down one evening for touching her iPod, and her mother had handed her an ultimatum: find a way to behave or spend the rest of the summer doing yard work. It had been an easy choice to make.

She panted as she ran, beads of sweat dripping down her face. With her body occupied, she let her mind wander along the twisting roads of her thoughts and memories. The last day of anything was difficult for her. A sense of loss permeated the transitions in her life. Coming to college in the first place had been a trial. She had wanted to pursue the Peace Corps, but her parents had quashed that with a firm insistence on a college degree. They didn't trust the world with their only daughter.

In the end, she had to concede that she was ill-prepared for the Peace Corps as an eighteen year old with few life experiences and that attending Go State was the best course of action. As much as she felt the need to help those less fortunate than her, she also felt a deep passion for academic interests. She was pursuing a degree in Education with a minor in History, in the hopes of teaching at the high school level. Perhaps she could inspire a few young minds with stories of the heroic past.

Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket, alerting her to the time. She pulled it out as she walked to the showers. A text from her mother encouraged her to have a great last day of classes and requested a phone call later that evening. She set the phone aside with her clothes and took a brief scalding shower.

Though she lost track of time, she still managed to get to her 8 o'clock class first. The professor showed up a few minutes later with a fistful of graded papers. He handed hers back with a smile – each assignment she received had a bright red A+ scribbled at the top. It was, generally, a rather slow day of classes – her first two were completely devoted to reviewing for the final exam which was in the latter half of the week. By the time lunchtime swung around, Kim was bored nearly to tears.

She returned to her apartment, done for the day. As she waited at a crosswalk, the people around her pointed up at the sky. Guarding her eyes against the sun with one hand at her forehead, she glanced up. Dr. Drakken hovered a few hundred yards above them, his jetpack rumbling and belching exhaust. Ahead of him, a slim figure in a black and green cat suit perched on the lip of a building. She held a thick burlap sack in one hand; the other was alight with green flames.

The people around Kim murmured with pleasure. _Tourists_, Kim thought. The encounters between heroes and villains were commonplace in Go City and most of the inhabitants were all at once grateful and scornful. As far as Kim was concerned, only tourists and newcomers were impressed by the scene above her. She crossed the street as soon as it was safe.

"Kim!"

The moment she stepped through the front door, her roommate pounced on her, grabbing at her arm. His blonde hair had been gelled into a small cowlick and his fingers were still slightly dewy with product.

"What's with the fuss, Ron?" She asked as he dragged her into the kitchen.

He jabbed his finger at the stovetop, where a pot bubbled. "I have created greatness!"

"Will this greatness create a mess?"

For a split second, he puzzled over this. "Does it count if I promise to clean it up?"

She laughed, honestly bemused at his blind enthusiasm. "So what is it?"

"I call it a Spaghettaco."

Kim blew on the froth covering the pot's contents – spaghetti noodles and ground beef. In a separate pot, brown beans simmered. Ron was busy lining taco shells with spaghetti sauce as she inspected his work.

"I hate to say it, Ron, but I'm not so sure about this."

"Give it a chance." He pled. "If you don't like it, I'll totally make you a sandwich."

She shrugged. "I don't see why you're not going into culinary school."

"Couldn't take the stress of it all," he muttered. "Besides, I'd much rather run a restaurant than cook for one."

"Well, I'm glad one of us is good at cooking." She settled down at the table. "I don't know if I could live on cereal and precooked meals. I know my mom thanks you."

He chuckled as he finished doling out the Spaghettacos. When they were complete, he slid the platter in front of Kim and waited expectantly for her response. She crunched through her first bite and grinned.

"I don't know where you get your inspiration, but you always make the most interesting meals."

"So do you like it?"

She took another hearty bite. "It's unusual, but I do."

They discussed their finals as they ate – which ran a little too long. Ron glanced at the clock on the wall and smacked his forehead with a fist. He darted to his room and back out, this time equipped with a messenger bag and a small bulge in his jacket pocket. The bulge shifted and Rufus poked his naked head out. A yawn burst out of his small mouth. Kim waved good bye as her disorganized roommate pelted down the street - a few minutes later he was calling her phone.

"Kim, I forgot my wallet." He sounded out of breath and she deduced that he had sprinted the distance to campus. "Can you please do me a solid and bring it by?"

"So not the drama." She responded. "You're in Collins 321?"

He confirmed that was his classroom and ended the call with a heartfelt thank you. She entered his room, carefully sidestepping dirty laundry and other unidentifiable substances. His wallet perched on his dresser and she grabbed it. Mimicking his urgency, she made the trip to campus at a sprint.

"Man, thanks, K.P." He tucked his wallet into his bag. "I'm just glad I didn't forget pants this time."

"I couldn't get those to you fast enough last time."

"I swear Professor Montgomery was eyeing me the whole time I waited. Totally awk-weird." He commented.

"Get to class." Kim chided.

He saluted her and entered the classroom. Deeming her mission accomplished, Kim turned and leisurely walked back in the direction of the apartment. She had no plans for the rest of the day and was in no particular hurry. It was rare that she was out and about with no direction, so she savored the experience of meandering. She wondered what she would do with her summer – though she certainly could get a job, her parents were more concerned with her academic success and wanted no distractions. If they had their way, she would spend the summer studying and exercising.

She roamed onward.

x|x|x

"You'll never get away with this!" Drakken hollered, waving his fist at his self-proclaimed arch-nemesis.

Shego snorted. "What, blue boy, are you going to stop me?"

"Of course." He proclaimed, reaching into his jacket pocket. She watched him root around for thirty seconds before laughing loudly and recapturing his attention.

"Looking for this?" She dangled a small blunt gun from her forefinger and thumb. The name on the side proclaimed it to be the Freez-O-Matic 3000.

"That's mine." He fumbled with the controls on his jetpack for a moment before it surged forward. Shego jumped nimbly out of the way, a bag of loot securely in her other fist. There was no challenge to these encounters, but she felt entitled to a little bit of sparring before she made off with her objective. She had been teasing him for the better part of an hour and could tell that his short temper had already blown a fuse, been replaced, and was wearing out again.

"I don't think so."

He swung back around and puttered again towards her, but couldn't keep up with her agility. After several failed attempts at catching her, he kicked his legs angrily in her direction.

"Stop making me look bad." He whined, a pathetic pout adorning his lips. "That's not fair!"

"I'm not making you do anything," she scolded, shaking his gun at him before pretending to crush it in her hand. His panicked yelping resounded through the air – she wished she had a free hand to block her ears.

"Give it back right this second, Shego." He demanded, stretching out his palm.

"Whatever." She responded, throwing the gun at him. "You're not a threat, no matter how many weapons you have. Makes this almost not even worth doing."

"What?" The confusion that descended upon his face almost brought Shego back to laughter.

"Stealing. But, as I like to say, once a thief, always a thief."

"But you weren't always a thief. You were my sidekick. You should be loyal to me forever."

"Keep dreaming."

Shego ran across the rooftop and jumped into the alleyway below. He zoomed as quickly as he could down to street level. Several camera flashes exploded in his face and he grinned manically. Once he stopped her, this would be a fantastic publicity moment. He eyed the mouths to the different alleyways between the nearby buildings. She would have to exit through one of them.

With shaking fingers – he had never tested his weapon on a real living person before – he switched the safety off and began charging the freezing beam. With his finger tightening on the trigger, he waited for Shego to burst out onto the street.

As he waited in the middle of the street, the crosswalk before him switched. Only one of the bystanders, clearly lost in her thoughts began the journey from one side of the street to the other. When the redheaded traveler reached the center of the street, Shego darted out from the darkness beyond her with one hand blazing. The fireball left her fist before she realized a pedestrian was in the way. Drakken fired his gun, dismissing the civilian as a necessary victim in his conquest of all that was evil. The two blasts connected almost instantaneously, consuming Kim's body entirely. Billowing smoke trailed up into the sky.

Shego stayed only just long enough to see that Kim lay prone on the ground before she made her escape. Too distracted by his gun, Drakken failed to spot her. He tapped it and shook it, but it refused to charge again. Cursing under his breath, he finally looked up and spotted the nearly silent crowd staring alternately at him and then at Kim. Tucking the gun away, he did the only thing he could think of to save his reputation. He ran to Kim's side and threw a curled hand into the air.

"Damn you Shego!"

He heard a camera click somewhere around him and was pleased. Shego would get blamed for this fatality and he would be justified in his over-the-top manhunt.

"Is she alright?" A voice from the crowd yelled. He squinted in the direction the voice came from, but had no answer. A frowning woman peeled off from the herd and approached. "I'm a registered nurse. Please stand aside."

He stepped back obediently, cowed that someone had the audacity to order him around. The woman placed her fingers on Kim's neck. A moment later she whipped her cell phone out and dialed 9-1-1.

"I have a nonresponsive female in the middle of the street, on the corner of 11th and Baine." She reported. She dug through Kim's pockets and pulled out Kim's wallet. "Her name is Kimberly Possible. She has a pulse, but it's faint."

Sirens sounded in the distance.

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><p><strong>AN**: They can rebuild her... they have the technology. On a side note, anyone else remember Pokemon: The First Movie? Yeah, me, too. But (SPOILER) Kim doesn't turn to stone. Stay tuned next week for the another exciting installment, in which our hero awakes. Furthermore, this story will be completed, though with one update a week it may take a little while to accomplish. Reviews are cherished like the youngest child born to a lonely housewife.

Toodles, Qym.


	2. Chapter 2

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Update Schedule: **Will be once a week on Saturday evenings.

* * *

><p>Chapter Two<br>In Which a Hero Feels Unprepared

At first Kim couldn't open her eyes, but she could hear voices. The words were lost on her, but syllables plopped like droplets into her ears while the waves of conversation crashed around her. Some voices were familiar. She was aware that there was empty time between voices, but couldn't quantify it. Her limbs lay like deadweights at her sides.

"Could wake…"

"You shouldn't have done…"

"Isotonic sol…"

She struggled whenever possible to wrench her eyelids open, but it felt like they had frosted over. It felt like an accurate description because every once and a while a large full body shiver ran its course through her and she felt like she'd never be warm again.

The conversations around her gradually became understandable. She listened more closely, trying to pick up on what had happened to her. She deciphered that there had been an accident. At first she thought that perhaps she had been struck by a car. The last thing she remembered was delivering the wallet to Ron and then stepping into the intersection. A car accident seemed pretty likely.

But one conversation made her doubt her conclusion.

"We wouldn't have half the problems we do," an unfamiliar voice droned near her ear, "if super villains would be caught permanently or put down."

"That sounds so inhumane." Another voice responded. "You sound like you want to euthanize them."

"Why shouldn't we? We do it to violent and rabid animals. What makes these… people any better?"

"They're people." The voice insisted. "Besides, isn't it more likely that it was the hero that did it this time? The results show it was the frost on her muscles that caused the change, not the heat of the blast. The heat is actually what saved her."

The first voice hmph'd. "Drakken wouldn't have acted if Shego hadn't have pushed him. Take away the villains and the heroes retire. It's basic math."

"I'm not as sure." A warm hand pressed against Kim's forehead. "Her body temperature is still low nineties."

Kim lost control of her consciousness just after that and faded into the darkness. When she awoke next, she considered what she heard. So – she had not only stepped into the street, but also into a battle between Drakken and Shego. Mid-thought her eyes snapped open. A nurse stood before her, palm outstretched.

"Did you just slap me?" Kim asked, unbelieving.

The nurse dropped her clipboard, but bent immediately to retrieve it. "I'm sorry. None of us thought it would actually work."

Kim gazed at the hospital staff gathered around her bed. Two doctors uneasily traded dollar bills between them. A third doctor stepped up to her and clicked a flashlight on. She followed the light with her eyes. He tilted her chin back and opened her mouth. The flashlight clicked off.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm not sure." Kim lifted one arm and her face twisted up in concern. "How long have I been laying here? I can barely move – surely my muscles haven't atrophied, have they?"

The nurse who had delivered the slap shook her head. "We're still running tests. Well, all the tests that we can."

"What can't you do?"

"We're having trouble piercing your skin enough to get to your veins." The doctor interjected. He pulled a sterile syringe from a drawer nearby and approached her. "Just relax. I'm going to try and draw some blood."

Kim shrugged. Needles scared her very little. What caused her heart to begin hammering was the sight of the needle only dipping less than a millimeter into her flesh. The doctor removed the needle and threw it into a repository.

"We're frankly at a loss – and fairly desperate to get you to wake up. You'll probably start to feel hungry soon. You've been unconscious for two days now. Your body was slowly losing weight. The rate, we think, was decreased by the effects of the blast."

The nurse picked up a chart and gazed at it. "You were hit on one side by the Freez-O-Matic 3000, a new invention created by Dr. Drakken. Simultaneously you received the full brunt of a fire blast from Shego. The freezing blast laced your muscles, and probably would have killed you, but the heat of Shego's fire was enough to fight the ice away. The end result seems to be that your muscles are more rigid now and, or so we predict, slower to tire. Your skin, as you've seen, is also harder to breach."

Kim slumped back against her pillows and blinked slowly. "That would explain why I keep shivering and why I can't seem to get warm."

The doctors murmured together before one made eye contact. The name on the doctor's white jacket was Dr. Hill. Hill cleared her throat. "We would like your permission, Ms. Possible, to keep you under our care for a while longer to finish running tests."

"I can't." Kim spoke slowly. She opened and closed her fists, feeling the inflexibility that was so foreign to her. "I have finals."

"Your family and friends have been notified. And, well, the world knows what happened. I'm sure your professors will understand." Dr. Hill stated. "Honestly, this has been a media circus."

"I want to see my parents."

"We're not sure if that's the best idea right now."

"Ron Stoppable."

"Unavailable."

It took a few moments – perhaps her brain had iced over as well, Kim pondered – but she finally understood. She was going nowhere and seeing no one until the doctors had their way. She cast her eyes to the ground.

"What do I have to do?"

x|x|x

Two weeks of testing left Kim feeling abused and underappreciated. The doctors had her running the full gamut of tests, from blood pressure to muscle endurance to simple mathematics. The mental testing had stopped, thankfully, after the doctors deduced that no damage had occurred to her faculties. But that still left her running mile after mile on a treadmill, lifting pound after pound of free weights.

Normally the testing started from the moment Kim woke up until lunchtime, and then continued after the meal until dinner. But even eating was turning stressful as the doctors kept track of what she ate, how much she ate, what came out as excrement, and how much she excreted. Kim grew to hate waking up in the morning. One morning, however, she would have gladly started testing to avoid her visitor.

As she opened her eyes, she was forced to take in Dr. Drakken sitting with his ankles crossed on a chair in front of her bed. He was flipping through a Women's Health magazine and remained blissfully unaware that she was watching. She interrupted him cooing over a recipe for Kitten Kupcakes by clearing her throat. He tossed the magazine aside.

"Kimberly Ann Possible." He began and got to his feet. He paced before her, his hands tightly fisted behind his back. His black rattail whipped back and forth and he changed direction. "You are in a unique position – you are in fact quite lucky."

"I'm not too sure about that." Kim muttered. "What do you mean?"

"You have the privilege of being my sidekick. Aren't you honored? You get to fight next to my brilliance every day." Drakken pointed one finger in the air and stared her down. She couldn't fight the feeling of dread that descended between her shoulder blades. His black eyes seemed empty. "You could save people. I read up on you - a half finished application to the Peace Corps... You're a hero, born to be a hero, and now reborn to be a hero."

"Yeah?" Kim asked, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. If helping people came at the cost of her personal relationships and well being, she wasn't sure she wanted it.

"Imagine it!" Drakken crowed, his stance widening. "Finally achieving your dream! But more than that - achieving my dream!"

"Sorry, so not interested."

"You don't understand!" He announced, striding to the window. "In a world full of evil, you have the chance to fight back! As my sidekick."

"No thank you." Kim repeated. "I'm going to get my degree in Education and really help people."

"You don't understand at all." Drakken placed his palm on the window pane and shook his head. "This is the only true path to greatness. You owe it to me. I created you."

"Yeah great job there." Perhaps if this conversation had happened before the testing began, Kim would have been more keen on letting him say his piece. Perhaps she may have even engaged him in polite conversation. But she was quite disinterested in listening to him babble about her future.

"You'll see. You have no life left but as my faithful sidekick, fighting evil." He promised. His dark eyes took on a sinister gleam. "You think there's anything left out there for you? The news have plastered your name and face on every channel, on the front of every newspaper. Every person knows who you are and what happened to you. You'll never have a normal life again."

Kim couldn't tell if he was trying to entice her or depress her. For the most part his words only served as a catalyst to her growing anger. "Go away."

"You'll see." He promised. "You'll see very soon."

When he left, Kim curled back up in her hospital bed and closed her eyes. _Let them run their tests while I'm asleep_, she thought grumpily, _I'm not moving._ As if reading her mind, the staff left her entirely alone that day.

x|x|x

"K.P!"

Kim's heart leapt at what could be confused for the sounds of a howler monkey, but she correctly interpreted as the ululations of her best friend. With Ron practically in the hospital bed with her, she felt her load lighten, even if just slightly.

"Ron, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

Ron slung his messenger bag off his shoulder and popped it open. Inside was a change of clothes, complete with Kim's favorite t-shirt.

"You ready to go home?" He asked.

"Oh so." Kim threw back her blankets and lunged on the bag.

Though she gave the doctors close to her best during the testing, a survival instinct within her demanded that she keep part of her true power a secret. They had no idea that movement was easier for her now – perhaps easier than it had been before the accident. Her muscles had yet to tire out on her, though she had feigned weakness several times during the past weeks. Truthfully, she felt steadier and stronger than she had in a long time.

Ron respectfully turned his eyes to the wall as Kim ripped her hospital garb off – green scrubs and a white v-neck shirt – and donned the proffered pair of khaki cargo pants and emerald green three-quarter length sleeve. In her rush to get out of there, she barely tied her shoes before nabbing Ron's arm and dragging him from the room. He trotted after her, a beam on his face.

"Rufus missed you, too. I wanted to bring him, but they had a problem with bringing animals into the hospital. Something about sanitation. I wanted to be all, like, what, you can have dogs in here as therapy animals, but you can't have a hypoallergenic animal like a naked mole rat? That's so bogus." Ron concluded. "So I left him at home."

Kim soaked in his speech without really listening. It was just nice to hear conversations other than discussions of her results and predictions for her future performances. He turned to her, his cheeks reddening.

"There's just one thing…"

"What's the sitch?" She asked absent-mindedly. "Can't be worse than in here."

They paused in front of the double doors leading out of the hospital. Ron rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and waved the other in front of his body. Kim couldn't tell if he was making a recognizable hand gesture or just floundering. She determined it was floundering when nothing but incoherent vowels tumbled out of his mouth.

"Use your words, Ronald."

"People have been eating your story up." Ron started. "People who are against the super powers are using you as a poster child, but so are the pro-super powers people. So all the news people have been hanging around the hospital. You know, waiting to hear what happened, what turned up."

"Please tell me the doctors didn't leak anything."

"Naw, everyone knew as soon as they did that something weird was happening to you." Ron opened the door a crack so Kim could peer out into the real world. Three news vans were parked at the curb and two cameras were pointed at the door waiting. She shuddered, and not because she was still, indefinitely freezing cold. "Everyone knows you're super powered. People are just curious about you."

"You can't be serious." Kim moaned. She fell back a step and looked around them. Nurses padded past, but she tapped one on the shoulder. "Can I borrow some scrubs, please? Anything to cover me up?"

Twenty minutes later, Kim was dressed as a janitor. The oversized one piece uniform covered her form and made her look larger than she was, and a matching dull green cap covered most of her hair. She wheeled a cart of supplies out the loading dock area of the hospital and began throwing bags of trash into a large metal dumpster. As she worked, she waited until all the news crews lost interest in her boring activities. When all was quiet, she wheeled the cart back into the hospital and walked calmly out to the parking lot.

Ron waited in his beat up Toyota. She opened the passenger side door and slid in. They left the lot and headed in the direction of their joint apartment. The only good thing, Ron told Kim as he drove, was that the hospital would not release her home address – so for now she would be able to relax at her and Ron's apartment.

"That's just great." Kim slouched against the truck's door frame. Ron kept his hands on the steering wheel, though he wanted to rub her shoulder knowingly. "I mean, don't most super heroes get to choose an alter ego? Dr. Drakken is just stupid, so he doesn't care if people know who he is. And I'm sure he doesn't have friends, so he's not worried about bad guys attacking them, but I totally do. Mega un-cool."

"We could still make you a super name, couldn't we?"

"Ron, you said that everyone already knows it's me. What good would a super name be if people already knew? And who said I even wanted to be a super hero?"

"Nobody." He answered quickly.

"I'm sorry Ron. I've been cooped up too long. I forgot what it was like to actually talk to another human being. Forgive me?"

"Done."

"Thanks." Kim tapped her fingers along the dashboard in front of her. Her nails, despite having not been trimmed in weeks, were still short. The freeze did more than affect her muscles, it seemed. Her nails and hair also grew at a slower rate, and she had a lower blood pressure. So far all that she noticed was that she couldn't stand up too quickly after crouching. Though it was an inconvenience, she counted herself lucky that it wasn't worse. _Listen to me,_ she bemoaned silently, _I'm a regular Candide. I live in the best of all damn worlds._

"Hey, K.P?" Ron broke her out of her reverie as he pulled up to the apartment building. "Are you okay? I mean, beyond physically or whatever."

She blinked, unsure of her answer. "I guess so."

"If you need to talk, I mean. I'm here. I don't know what you're going through. But. I'm here."

Having said his piece, Ron got out and went around to open her door. Together they marched up to the apartment. Kim collapsed immediately onto the couch and vowed loudly that she would never move again. No sooner had she said that than her cell phone rang. It took her a moment to recognize the noise, as it had been at the apartment and not with her at the hospital.

"Hello?"

"Kimberly! Are you alright? Your father and I have been so worried." Anne Possible proceeded to inform Kim of how the family was dealing with the news – other than the twins, who wanted to use her in experiments, the family was concerned with her well being, petrified that there would be permanent damage, and hounded by reporters. "We haven't given them anything," Anne confided.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm just ready to let this all go and move on with my life."

"You're not going to help people?"

Kim tried to keep her muscles from tensing. She expected this spiel from Drakken, but to hear it from her mother was aggravating.

"I don't know yet, Mother."

"You wanted to save people before college. What happened?"

"You and Dad made me go to college. You said I wasn't ready for the Peace Corps – and you were right. Why now? Why do you want me pursuing that dream now?" Kim was exhausted. She loved her mother dearly, but this was a conversation for another day. "Look, Mom, I'm tired. I've spent the last few weeks being a lab monkey for curious doctors. I just want to sleep for a week. Can I call you later?"

Anne emitted a soft cluck, but eventually agreed. Once they had hung up, Kim put her head in her hands and rubbed her temples. Everyone had plans for her, but nobody asked what she wanted. She got the feeling that this would be a trend for the rest of her life, unless she figured out a magical solution to get rid of this curse of super powers.

"Kim! I made dinner." Ron called from the kitchen. He poked his head into the living room and Kim had to grin at his large chef's hat. For the moment, she conceded, it wasn't too bad. She just hoped that it would last.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: I promise the Kigo action will be starting soon - and that Shego will poke her gnarly head up soon. But I wanted to get the foundation of my universe and my story set before I began decorating. Also - famous last words? That last line is a little ominous. Reviews are to me, as Cheerios are to my rats - to be fought over and devoured.

Toodles, Qym.


	3. Chapter 3

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Update Schedule: **Will be once a week on Saturday evenings. – My apologies on the lateness of this chapter. I was out of town.

* * *

><p>Chapter Three<br>In Which a Hero Has Some Decisions to Make

In what she affectionately called her lair, Shego kicked her feet up on a worn-out coffee table. Her lair in actuality was a small apartment in the Palisades building off of 52nd Street, but she didn't think that sounded nearly sinister enough. Her thirteen inch television balanced precariously on the edge of the table, within kicking distance if it should malfunction.

At the moment she was boycotting any channels that played news programs, preferring cheesy sitcoms and animation. The news had been a boring wash of that redhead caught in the cross fire earlier that week – and though deep down she was emotionally invested in the accident she was partially at fault for, she was sick of hearing about it. She wasn't sure how many times reporters could comment on the redhead's past as a cheerleader. The Possible family was incredibly tight lipped and protective – something Shego could understand.

She stretched her legs out, bending her toes until she heard them crack. A wave of satisfaction crashed around her. The life of a super villain may not be as glorious as that of a hero, but it certainly beat the alternatives. If a comet hadn't crashed down on her and given her supernatural powers, she was half-certain her life would have been asinine. As it was she could wear turtlenecks and make up if the need to go outside struck her, and nobody bothered her. With dark skin, she could pass for normal, for Shelley Hugo. Shelley had a modest income, modest friends, and modest pastimes.

The cartoon she was vaguely watching flashed to a commercial for Sock 'Em Boppers. With one toe she flipped the channel. A ticker ran across the bottom of the screen, practically screaming with its use of capital letters. KIM POSSIBLE LEAVES HOSPITAL. DETAILS AT 11:00 P.M.

Moving her foot, she turned the set off and stood. It was time, she felt, to pay Kim a visit. Although Kim's location was unavailable to the general public, Shego had resources. She pulled her cell phone out.

"Thank you for calling Load's Aquatic Pets and Supplies. This is Wade. How can I assist you?"

"It's me." Shego stated blandly.

After a moment of deliberation, he chuckled. "What do you need, Shego?"

"I need a favor."

"What sort of favor?" Suspicion seeped into his voice. "You know I'm out of the business."

"Regardless of what you do with your… talents… you're still a member of the family." Shego drawled. "But seriously, Load, have you been watching the news?"

"Who hasn't?"

"That girl… Possible, isn't it?"

"Kim."

"Right, her. I need to find her."

He grumbled under his breath and she wondered if she needed to make it worth his while. Then, filling the short silence, she could hear him typing away at his keyboard, the keys clacking like a set of baseball cards pinned to a bike wheel. The rhythm was almost putting her to sleep when Wade returned.

"Consider this your last favor, Shego."

"Done." Sometimes she found it appalling how little Wade wanted for his expert services. For a young man who spent six years as a criminal hacker, he was oddly generous. Not all people were as self-serving as she was, she figured. Somewhere down the line she would have to provide him with some recompense.

"I had to go into her school records. Not too hard, though. Simple systems." Wade commented, preening in his intelligence. She allowed him that much. "Got a pen ready?"

As he provided her with the address and a phone number, and an offer of Kim's social security number, Shego scribbled the information down on the coffee table with one of her fingers aflame. Each word sizzled into the wood surface, permanently burned into place.

"Would you like any aquatic supplies?"

"Nice try." Shego snapped her phone shut.

Before going out into the world, Shego dusted her skin with make up and tied her hair back into a loose ponytail. Kim's apartment was across town, but Shego clung to the shadows and made it in half the time of a normal traveler.

|x|x|x|

Kim had been lying on the couch for approximately three days. She only knew this because of Ron's constant nagging. She pulled a pillow over her head to block him out as she heard his footsteps approach.

"Kim, you have to get up."

"Mnnpf." She responded.

"It's been four days."

Mentally she corrected her approximation – Kim had been lying on the couch for approximately four days. She held the pillow closer to her ears.

"You smell." Ron grumbled. He was running out of arguments to make his lackluster friend move. "You haven't showered in days and you smell. This entire apartment smells like old gym socks. That's you, Kim. You are the old gym socks."

"Thanks."

"So you can talk!" He crowed. "This is a step in the right direction! Come on, Kim, you're making it miserable for me. You can feel terrible all you want, but now you're letting this affect my life."

She bolted upright. "That's not fair, Ron."

"I don't get it." He shook his head. "When we first got home a week ago, you were fine. Heck, the press didn't even know you were gone until today, so it can't be that you were upset at them. So what is it? What killed your mood so hardcore?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she avoided making eye contact. So far he had been the one person in her life that hadn't been pressuring her to become a superhero. Four days ago, her mother had started sending her costume ideas, and several superhero names. Kim had no interest in being the Red Scare – dressed all in red, of course, which would go terribly with her hair color and complexion. But she was even less interested in the other options: Captain Justice, or Victory Lady.

"Nothing, okay? Aren't I allowed to be depressed for a while after my life is ruined?"

"Your life wasn't ruined." Ron argued. "It was just changed. And since when have you let anything defeat you. You can do anything!"

"I don't know anymore, Ron."

"Well I do." He grabbed her shoulders and dragged her from the couch. Her legs wobbled beneath her, but held. "Look. The sun is out. You're still breathing. You're going to make this work."

She pulled out of his grip and stumbled a few feet away. "How do you know that, huh, Ronald? Because you've been in a position like this? Like you've ever had a hard time in your life."

"Maybe I don't know exactly what you're going through, but we've all had hard times."

Before she could respond, there was a knock at the door. Ron's face swiftly dropped from rigid to easy going as he galumphed to the door and pulled it open.

"Can I help you?" He stared at the unknown woman before him. She nodded. "How?"

"I need to come inside first." She leered at him. "It's urgent."

Ron glanced back at Kim, but the redhead had resumed loafing on the couch. "Who are you?"

"A friend."

"Can you prove it?" He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't think I know you."

"I'm Kim's friend."

"K.P.!" Ron hollered. "Your friend is at the door."

"My friend?" Kim hollered back. "Who?"

"Who are you?"

Shego wanted to slap her palm onto her face and let it stay there. She had tried the suave approach, but when all else failed, she could be direct. Grumbling, she pushed past Ron and locked the door behind herself.

"Kim, I couldn't stop her." Ron ran to Kim's side and cowered. "She's your friend, you try."

Kim stared at Shego, wondering where on earth this 'friend' had come from. She didn't remember meeting or socializing with an African American woman with piercing green eyes. With Kim's eyes on her, Shego pulled a moist towelette from her pocket and she mopped the makeup off. Kim's heart hammered at the final product.

"Shego?" Kim leapt off the couch and put her fists up awkwardly in front of her face. Any second now, she was expecting an attack.

"Easy there, Princess." Shego put her hands in front of her body, trying to appear nonthreatening. "I'm not here to fight."

"Then why are you here?"

Shego sighed and let her arms fall to her sides. "I have my reasons."

Kim drew her cell phone out of her pocket and pointed to it. "You can either tell me why or I can call the police."

"You wouldn't." Shego bet. "You wouldn't risk giving away your location to the press."

Kim hesitated. "I'll do it…"

"Sure you will."

Ron cleared his throat. "I'll do it, if she doesn't."

Shego glanced at the ceiling, as if asking for patience. "If I was here to make trouble, wouldn't I have already made it?"

Kim stared at Shego for a few hard seconds before relaxing her posture. "I think she's got a point, Ron. And anyways, the people in the hospital said that she's the reason I'm still alive right now."

A shiver racketed through Kim's body. Shego narrowed her eyes. Despite how the smaller female wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and how the heat was blasting in the apartment, Kim was still cold.

"You're never quite warm are you?"

Kim looked out the window. Her mouth twitched and Shego wondered if she had brought up a sore subject. But Kim looked back at her once more. "No. I keep thinking I'll get used to it, but I never do. I'm just always cold."

Shego flexed her fingers, feeling the inherent warmth in her body. It would be terrible, she decided, if she lost that heat. She was lucky Drakken's ray hadn't hit her, like Drakken had planned.

"Why are you here?" Ron asked again. He grew bolder in the silence – and the lack of violence.

"Are people pressuring you?" Shego directed her question at Kim, ignoring Ron's indignant yelp as he was ignored. "Well, more than usual?"

"Yes."

"Don't listen to them."

"But they're right." Kim sat back down on the couch, drawing blankets onto her lap. "I've always wanted to help people, and this is definitely my chance."

"Don't listen to them." Shego repeated. Uncomfortable with her candid interest in Kim's wellbeing, Shego edged towards the door. "That's all. You don't have to do it."

"Thanks for that." Kim muttered. In her depressed state, it felt like Shego was trying to control her actions as well – Shego probably just didn't want another hero running around trying to foil her evil ways.

"Also, disguises help." Shego pointed to her own get up. "If you want to go outside."

And with that, the green villain was gone.

|x|x|x|

"Ron, I don't think I can do this." Kim stared at herself in the mirror. "This is so not how I pictured my next trip home."

Ron stood next to her, his arms folded across his chest. Rufus sat on his shoulder and chattered. "I don't know, K.P., it doesn't look too bad…. Honest."

She grimaced. In order to preserve her privacy, she decided to take Shego's advice, just this once. It was inevitable that the press would discover her location, but she would do anything to put that off as long as possible. The disguise de jour was that of a frumpy housewife. Her hair had been tucked up into a frizzy brown wig and Ron had carelessly sprinkled freckles across her face with an eyeliner pencil.

"I feel like Hermione Granger." She deadpanned, staring down at her formless sweater and black, pleated skirt.

"She turned out hot." Ron responded. "So no worries."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Kim groused. She took a final look and turned away from the mirror. "I guess we might as well get this over with."

Ron saluted and ran ahead of her to get the door. Together they got into his truck and drove down the road. Kim took slow, deep breaths. So far so good, she told herself. Nobody looked twice at them. During the drive, Kim alternated between staring aimlessly out the window and punching her fingers at the radio buttons. She felt, as she had felt for the past few days, as if someone were watching her.

Ron tried to amuse her and distract her with tales of his finals, his adventures in the kitchen, and Rufus's run-ins with the landlady, but Kim maintained a deep, ruminative silence. Giving up, Ron watched the road.

"Ron, what do you think I should do?"

Ron tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. They were a few miles away from Kim's childhood home, and he knew the directions by heart.

"I think… you should do what makes you happy." He spoke slowly, as if he were weighing his words. "And if being a hero makes you happy, you should be a hero. But if doing nothing makes you happy, you should do nothing."

Kim reached over and squeezed his arm. "No matter what my mother says, you're brilliant, Ronald."

He smiled at her, though his expression drooped moments later. "What does your mom say?"

She punched his arm gently – over the past week she had tested just how strong she was. She had shattered several glasses, nearly punched a hole in a wall, and had crimped the metal towel hanger in the bathroom when she had lost her balance. At this point she felt like she had a pretty good grasp on how little energy she needed to expend on little things. Ron winced, even though no pain had occurred.

They pulled into the driveway and parked. Ron removed his seatbelt, but Kim remained motionless. A million possibilities darted behind her eyes. Though this could be a perfectly charming family reunion, it could also be a stressful afternoon filled with heroic pressures. Ron rubbed her shoulder.

"We should get inside, before your family comes outside and makes a fuss."

She nodded and mechanically followed his directions. The door was open when they got there and shut as soon as they stepped inside. Kim had but a moment to breathe before she was enveloped in a bone crunching hug. Mr. Possible pulled away and beamed at her.

"Kimmie-cub!" He reached up and ruffled her hair. She batted his hands away and resettled the mess he made. "I'm glad you could make it out here."

"I didn't want to miss your birthday, Dad." She hugged him once more for good measure and drew away. His spine cracked beneath her arms.

"You've got quite the grip there, Kimmie." He laughed. "I think I can cancel my chiropractor appointment next week."

Mrs. Possible swooped in next and hugged her briefly, followed by the twins latching onto half of her. Ron greeted everyone with an awkward wave of his hand. He loved the Possibles, but sometimes they were a bit much for him. All the hugging made him feel left out.

Over Mr. Possible's birthday dinner, Kim was glad to fade into the background. For one reason or another, the family avoided discussing her accident and her future. They managed to avoid it up until Mr. Possible opened his presents. Kim hung her head.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything for you."

"It's okay, kiddo." He read the homemade card she had for him. "I understand."

"I just… couldn't get out to the store."

A stark silence collapsed upon them. The twins traded looks and Jim coughed. Tim flicked a piece of napkin with his forefinger.

"So are your powers rad?" They asked in unison.

Mrs. Possible glared at them, but they pretended not to notice.

"Like, can you blow things up now?" Tim questioned.

"Like, can you fly?" Jim questioned.

Oddly enough, Kim felt relieved at their questions. Throughout the meal, a tension had been present – and with the twins asking about her, the tension had dissolved.

"No, I can't blow things up or fly."

The twins shook their heads. "Then why even have powers?"

She responded to their taunts by sticking her tongue out. "I could snap you both in two."

"But you wouldn't." Mr. Possible chided.

"Or would I, tweebs?" She waggled her fingers at them. "What good are little pesky brothers if not for snapping?"

Ron couldn't help himself; he laughed, which incited the elder Possibles to laugh as well. Kim grinned. Perhaps Ron was right – her life wasn't completely in shambles. Her mom hadn't made one alter ego suggestion all night.

"I'm going to use the bathroom." Ron announced. The Possible family waved him away as Mr. Possible began slicing into the chocolate cake.

"Things have been going well, considering." Kim remarked when Mrs. Possible asked about her wellbeing. "I mean, I haven't really gone outside much. But physically, I've never felt better."

"How much can you bench?" Mr. Possible asked, licking frosting off his fingers.

"I haven't done any formal testing since I got out of the hospital, but I can lift the fridge."

The twins exchanged high fives. As far as they were concerned, their sister was awesome.

"Are you still cold?"

Kim took her mom's hand into her own; her low body temperature was most evident in her extremities, and Mrs. Possible drew her hand back as if she had been bitten.

"I'll take that as a yes," she amended.

Kim glanced towards the hallway that led to the bathroom. "I wonder if Ron fell in the toilet."

Mrs. Possible folded her arms over her chest. "I would believe it. Sometimes I wonder about that boy."

"I know, Mom." Kim got up and went to the bathroom door. She knocked a few times and called out Ron's name. When she received no answer, she pushed the door open, snapping the lock. The bathroom was empty.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Sorry for the delay on this chapter - first I was out of town for a wedding and then the website was back-sassing me. But things should be cleared up now. Thanks for being patient.

~Qym


	4. Chapter 4

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Update Schedule: **Will be once a week on Saturday evenings.

* * *

><p>Chapter Four<br>In Which a Hero is Done

"I don't know." Kim slumped on the couch. The police officer in front of her jotted down notes on a small pad of paper. "He just went to the bathroom and then he never came out."

"Did anybody hear anything strange?"

The rest of the Possible clan exchanged glances. The question hung in the air for minute before Mr. Possible cleared his throat and shook his head.

"We were pretty loud at dinner, though," he explained, "so maybe we just talked over it?"

The officer checked his notes again. "I'm not entirely sure. It does seem odd that Ronald would have gone quietly."

"Maybe they knocked him out." Kim posited. She leaned forward on her elbows. "But that would mean that whoever did this was prepared. They would have to know he was going to take a bathroom break, where the bathroom was, how to get in… That seems like a lot of variables."

"That's true, but we can't rule anything out just yet." As they spoke, an officer came out of the bathroom, a plastic baggy in his hands. He murmured into the first officer's ear and handed the baggy over. "This was found in the bathroom by the window – does it belong to any of you?"

The Possible family leaned in and stared at the thick black strand of hair inside the baggy. One by one each redheaded person shook his or her head. Kim took one look at the length of the strand and narrowed her eyes. She could only think of one villain crafty enough – and evil enough – to do something like this.

"I think it was Shego." Kim announced. "That looks like her hair. And, well, she came to my apartment not that long ago – which means she has access to information about me. Who's to say she didn't look up where you guys live, and even our floor plans?"

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Mr. Possible demanded.

"You guys were already worried enough. Anyways, at the time she didn't seem too… sinister." Kim defended herself quietly. It was hard not to feel guilty about it when her best friend was missing in action.

"What did you talk about?" The police officer whipped his notebook open once more.

"She just said that I didn't have to be a hero if I didn't want to be. And she told me to go out in disguise if I wanted to maintain my privacy."

"And that's all?"

"I got the feeling there was more… But she wouldn't tell us why she was really there. She just kinda talked at me, ignored Ron, and then left."

Mrs. Possible rubbed her arms. "Are we going to be safe in this house? What if they come back for one of us?"

The officer reached down to his radio and pulled it to his mouth. "This is Johnson out at the Possible residence. Can you send a squad car?"

"Ten-four."

"No need to worry, ma'am. A car will be positioned outside of your residence all night in case your intruder comes back."

"I'll stay, too." Kim settled her shoulders back.

"No, Kimmie-cub." Mr. Possible strode to the window and glanced out. "Whoever took Ronald knows you're here, too. It'll be best if you return home, like nothing was wrong. Nobody has released your home address yet, right?"

Kim shook her head. "That's right, Dad. But…"

"No buts. Get on the road and call us the second you're safe and the front door is locked."

"This doesn't feel like the right decision."

"But it's the decision they won't expect."

The police officer stood with his hands akimbo. "I can escort you back, if you'd like."

Kim's eyebrows furrowed, but it seemed that she was outnumbered. "Well… if you all think it's for the best…"

Mrs. Possible hugged her tightly. "We only want the best for you always, honey."

Kim pulled away. "I guess I should get going, then. You know… to maintain my element of surprise."

As Kim pulled away from the house in Ron's car, she glanced back to the front door. Her parents held each other and waved at her. She couldn't quite make out the expressions on their faces. Behind them, the twins stood stoically.

|x|x|x|

The apartment was dark when Kim finally got home. She flipped the lights on and let her eyes graze the room before she entered. Despite her father's assurances, it just didn't feel right to come home without knowing for sure who had abducted Ron, and where they were. On the other hand, though, someone had to feed Rufus.

She opened the door to Ron's room and stepped through the discarded laundry piles. She was especially cautious to avoid stepping on socks, in case Rufus had hidden himself in one of them. Thankfully he was merely slumbering in a small animal hammock that Ron had set up on his desk.

"Hey Rufus." Kim cooed. Rufus stretched out – rather than go with the duo to the Possible's for dinner, Rufus had been left behind to spare him the motion sickness that came with two hours in the car. "Want some dinner?"

At the suggestion of food, Rufus squeaked. His tiny eyes darted around the room. He squeaked again.

"I'm sorry, buddy, but Ron isn't here."

Rufus closed his eyes again, in protest.

"I don't know where he is." Kim sniffed. She rubbed her eyes. This was not the time to feel guilty and sad. _But_, she thought crossly, _if not for me, he wouldn't have been the target of any kidnapping ever_.

She went to where Ron kept Rufus's food and set a few blocks out in Rufus's food dish. If the little guy was hungry, he knew where it would be. Petting him gently on the head, Kim whispered good bye.

When she entered her room, she noticed something was wrong. To the careful observer it was obvious that someone had entered the room, rifled through her belongings, and then tried to set them back from whence the items had come, but with little success. Kim went to the kitchen and grabbed a frying pan and returned to her room. Her grip on the handle crushed the metal.

"If anybody is still in here, you better get out." She called. Nothing in her room stirred. "Because if I have to find you, you'll be a lot sorrier."

After her rudimentary search, Kim set the pan down and sat on the edge of her bed. Her phone jingled in her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Kimmie, did you get home alright?"

"Oh, hey Dad. Yeah. I'm fine. The door is locked."

"Hold on a second." He muttered. She could hear her mother and brothers in the background but then nothing after a door shut. "I'm sorry Kimmie."

"For what, Dad? You couldn't control this."

She stared at her free hand and sighed. She tried saying the same thing to herself and it didn't work. She didn't feel any less guilty than the moment before.

"I just hope you get Ronald back safe and sound." There was a hint of hesitancy in her father's voice.

"Dad, do you have something you want to say?"

"James, are you in there?" Kim heard someone knocking on the door Mr. Possible had shut. Her father must have placed his hand over the mouthpiece, though, because the rest of the conversation was almost silenced.

"Look, Kimmie, we'll talk again soon. Let us know how things go."

"I love you." She told the dial tone and grimaced. Never before had her father been so quick to get off the phone. She normally had to convince him she had other things to be doing. To the air she added. "That was strange."

She fell back on her pillow, but rolled immediately to the side when something under her pillow crinkled. Pulling the pillow back, she found a note with her name written upon it in black sharpie.

"_Kimberly Possible –_

_I have your boyfriend. He's safe, for now.  
>But I make no promises. If you want him back,<br>meet me at midnight tonight in the Diametrix  
>factory building. Come alone or not at all.<em>"

Kim crunched the note in her fist. There was just something about this whole set up that didn't set well within her. If Shego was behind this, she was in for a lot more than she bargained for. Into her closet Kim went. She dug out a pair of basketball shorts from high school P.E. They were slim enough that they wouldn't snag on anything but loose enough to allow her a full spectrum of movement. For a top she chose one of her camisoles.

If the kidnapper wanted a fight, that's what he or she'd get, Kim decided. She went to the bathroom and dug through her makeup. Smearing eyeliner crudely around her eyes, she tried to emulate the way Batman darkened his eyes behind the mask. Drawing it further, she mimicked Robin's mask. A cloth would have done better, but in a pinch this would have to do. She inspected herself in the mirror. The only thing that made her stand out was her unforgettably red hair.

Running back to her closet, she dug through her supplies from the previous Halloween. Ron had been Doctor Evil and she had held onto his bald cap. She shoved her hair up under it. It didn't quite lie flat, but she would take it. She stared at the clock on the nearest wall and gritted her teeth. She still had four hours before midnight.

|x|x|x|

When Shego heard over her transistor radio that something was going down with the Possible girl, she had set her magazine aside almost instinctually. Though she usually used the radio only to make sure she hadn't been followed by the police, and that they weren't closing in on her location, she often let it play in the background while she did other things. This was the first time in her life she was glad it was on.

The police spoke quickly though and it was a brief message. All Shego picked up was that the blond boy was involved as well and that there was a kidnapping. She jacked the volume up on the radio and resumed reading her magazine. A few hours later one word came through the chatter. Diametrix.

It took her but a few minutes to pull her cat suit and only minimally longer to locate where Diametrix was located. At ten o'clock she slid in a half open window and walked amongst the shadows. The building was silent and empty. Afraid she had gone to the wrong location, she was about to pull her cell phone out when she heard what sounded like a rusty key sliding into a lock. She jumped from box to box until she was up among the rafters.

"Watch it!" A shrill voice pierced her ear drums. She stared down as Dr. Drakken entered the space, followed by a rather bulky man in a blue jumpsuit carrying what appeared to be a six foot long white cocoon. "Don't bang him up. She'll be angry enough."

Shego watched silently as the henchman set the cocoon on the floor. It wiggled and moaned slightly. Her eyes narrowed.

"Where should I leave him?"

Drakken looked around the space. "Get a rope up and over the rafters. Hang him in the middle of the room, about ten feet above the ground. So she can't just jump up and get him."

As his lackey followed his directions, Drakken pulled a small electronic device from his pocket. He appeared to read it and muttered under his breath as he went. Shego walked along the beams as silent as a ninja and peered over his shoulder. The words were too small to read, but now she could hear his murmurings.

"Couldn't jump that high, could she? Only minimal additions to muscle size. Shouldn't worry – she'll understand. It's for the best." He stroked his chin and, though Shego couldn't read his thoughts, she got the vague idea that he wanted a beard desperately. "Mark! Are your associates in place?"

The large man nodded. "They are waiting outside for further commands."

"Good. Good." Drakken tapped his finger tips together and a saucy grin slid across his face. "Excellent in fact."

Shego held back her groan. Remaining in the shadows, she found a comfortable place to lounge. Though she would step in if her help was needed, she would rather watch the events unfold from a distance. Her apologetic feelings towards Kim were not enough to drag her into something that clearly needed no meddling from her. Besides that, there were armed men running around – more than Shego was sure she could take during an escape.

By the time midnight rolled around, Shego had almost fallen asleep – but the sound of the large door opening again roused her. In came Kim in her disguise, which evoked a stifled laugh from Shego. Kim looked fairly ridiculous. This lessened when Kim pulled the bald cap off, but Shego wasn't sure she'd ever forget the comic sight she had witnessed.

"Ron?"

"Mmf!"

Kim reached into the backpack she had with her and pulled out a flashlight. She should have looked for a light switch on the way in, but she hadn't wanted to alert the whole building to her presence. She turned on the light and cast the beam around the room. As it passed by, Shego ducked behind a vertical beam.

"Ron?" She called again. This time when Ron responded, Kim found him with her light easily. "I'll get you down, don't panic."

Kim pulled her backpack off and went more deeply into its confines. She pulled out a Swiss army knife and a small coil of rope. She knotted the rope around what appeared to be a rolling pin and threw her contraption up into the air. It hit the beam Ron was attached to with a clang and halted. Kim paused, waiting for someone to come after her. When all was quiet, she began scaling her rope, the knife between her teeth.

"Well, well, well, Miss Possible." Drakken slammed his fist on the light switch. The room flooded with a blinding light. Kim blinked until the spots cleared from her vision. "We'll need to work on your outfit, certainly."

Kim slid down the rope, slightly shocked. "Are you here to help me get Ron back?"

Drakken sighed and tucked his fists behind his back. He strode towards her. "Your boyfriend was never in any danger."

"What do you mean?" Kim demanded. "He was kidnapped from my parents' house and he wasn't in danger?"

"Precisely." Drakken crowed.

For a moment, from above, Shego swore she could see the gears in Kim's head turning. Finally the redhead's eyes narrowed.

"You kidnapped him."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Drakken waved his hands dramatically in front of his face. "It sounds so… evil."

"It is." Kim responded. She turned back to her rope and began to climb again. Mark stepped out of the shadows and grabbed her leg. When she hit the ground, he yanked the rope down from the beam. She staggered back to her feet, rubbing her rear end.

"Thank you, Mark."

"Mark?" Kim barked a nervous laugh. "Couldn't you think of a more foreboding name?"

Mark shrugged as he stood behind her with his arms crossed over his chest. "It seems to work pretty well."

She returned her attention to Drakken. "Haha, funny joke. Let him go."

"Have you learned?"

"What?"

He paced in front of her, gesturing every other sentence with wild hands and a highly emphatic face. "This world is filled with people that want to do damage to the less fortunate! This city needs heroes! Did you not feel that passion? That drive? When you found that note, were you not filled with a need to do good?"

Kim clenched her hands into fists. "I was filled with a need to hurt whoever hurt my best friend."

Drakken took a step backwards. "Well, he hasn't been hurt. So violence… is unnecessary."

He gulped as she raised a fist at him. She uncurled it slowly. "Let him go."

"You felt it." His voice trembled, and then steadied. "You know you did. It's in your blood."

Kim's mind flashed back to her parents waving good bye and her heart clenched. "What did you do to my parents?"

"Oh nothing." Drakken mused. "I merely suggested that this would be an excellent way to show you the correct path."

What had previously been a smoldering ember of angry suddenly blazed into a wild-fire. Kim lunged forward, much more quickly than Mark or Drakken could have predicted. She smashed into Drakken's side and bludgeoned him in the face. A stream of spittle erupted from his mouth. Mark was on her a moment later, trying to drag her back – but she whirled around and slammed her foot behind his knee. She cringed when she heard something crunch, yet the sight of Ron dangling feet above them drove her forward. Slamming the side of her hand into the side of Mark's neck, she knocked him to the floor and out of consciousness.

Behind her Drakken grabbed something from inside his pocket, a small, knife-like weapon. It had a dial on the hilt which he spun. Shego dropped from the rafters and caught his wrist. He shrieked at her sudden appearance. Kim spun back around.

"Shego?"

Before Kim could formulate another thought, Shego squeezed Drakken's wrist until the blue man dropped the weapon and then sprung into the air. Lighting one of her fingers up, she sliced through the cocoon material and grabbed Ron's form. She landed with the grace of a feline and left him on the ground. In the next moment she was gone.

Kim ran to Ron's side, slung him over her shoulder, and sprinted for the doors. Before she could get out, the rest of Mark's men piled in. Kim felt a little like a football player as she tried to barrel through them. They almost made it, but in the end the sheer numbers of Mark's force overwhelmed them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Thanks for sticking with me. Things might be a little late next week as my life spirals off into the territories of too busy for words. If you have a moment, reviews are treasured. It just takes a moment to impassion me to continue writing.

Toodles, Qym.


	5. Chapter 5

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Update Schedule: **Will be once a week on Saturday evenings.

* * *

><p>Chapter Five<br>In Which a Hero is Rescued

Under the sheer volume of her attackers, Kim felt her strength finally fading. It was one thing to lift weights over and over again and quite another to lift hulking men out of her way over and over. Ron slumped over her shoulder, occasionally getting smacked as one of the attackers wasn't careful with his blows. Kim shifted him slightly so he wouldn't drop and pressed forward for as long as she could before a left hook caught her on the jaw.

Ron fell from her grip as she reeled sideways. It didn't hurt so much as she was surprised, but the damage had been done. Once they had her off balance, it was simply a matter of locking her wrists into steel cuffs and shackling her wrists to her ankles. When the dust of the scuffle cleared, Drakken stalked over. A cut over his nose bled sluggishly.

"Kimberly Possible, you will come to regret this decision of yours." He pawed at the blood on his face, a look of distorted disgust marring his face. She stared at him, silent. After a moment, he declined her staring contest, looked away, and continued. "I gave you the option to accept this lifestyle of your own volition. And you rejected this offering."

"You kidnapped my best friend." Kim responded, her eyes still narrowed and angry. "That was supposed to give me the free choice of joining you?"

"Yes well." Drakken waved off her complaint. He fixed his fists behind his back, resuming his natural pose of all-knowing arrogance, and turned his gaze to the men surrounding them. "You will learn, in time, that certain sacrifices are necessary when there is evil afoot. For instance…"

As he lectured, Kim turned her attention to her surroundings. The henchmen were focused on Drakken, but offered no easy line of escape. Refusing to feel defeated, Kim let her eyes drift up to the ceiling. If she could somehow reach the rafters, she could run along them to the exit – or at least hide out until a better plan struck her.

She tugged slowly on her chains so the rattling wouldn't attract her captor's attention. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead as her body exerted the full extent of its strength. The steel groaned, but held. Drakken ranted onward. Kim wondered as her body relaxed if she could possibly make her escape while completely incapacitated. Odds were not looking good.

"What are you doing, Dr. D?"

Kim's head snapped up at the intrusion of a foreign voice. She scanned the room again until her eyes fell upon the sanguine form of Shego. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise – she could have sworn the villain had fled.

"Shego!" Drakken nearly fell over, clutching his lab coat with his right hand. "You gave me a heart attack."

"Too bad it wasn't real."

"Why do you always have to cut me down?"

"Shut up." Shego lit her hand up and pointed down at the Kim and Ron. "I'll be taking these two with me, thank you."

"No you won't! They're my captives." Drakken stamped his foot on the ground, the very image of a three year old throwing a fit because an adult took away his dessert.

"Stop me." She tossed a fizzing ball of her power into a mass of henchmen, who immediately began hollering as the fire burned at their clothing. The moment the madness erupted, Shego swooped down to the ground and sliced through Kim's restraints. "Try not to mess this up again."

Kim grimaced and shook her limbs out. "Oh, I'm sorry I couldn't take on an army of bulky men with weapons. My bad."

Shego fought the smirk that formed. "Hurry up and grab the deadweight."

"He's not deadweight." Kim argued as she lifted Ron once more.

"Maybe not always, but right now…"

Shego ran off before Kim could respond. Following close behind, Kim ran even though her body just wanted to curl up in the corner and rest. She had never pushed herself so far in one go – her muscles felt like a bottle of water that had been left in the freezer, first, and then placed out in the sun for an hour. The ice was still there, but it was woozy. An ache built up in her head and slowly began throbbing with each footstep she took. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to will her body to calm.

"This way." Shego hollered, leading Kim through the darkness with the faintest glimmer of a glow to her body. "We can't take you back to your apartment right now, but I know somewhere safe you can stay."

Kim wiped cold sweat away from her body and continued. Her body could quit another time, she decided. This wasn't about her – it was about saving Ron from the trouble she had gotten him into. After what felt like a ten mile run, Shego halted and ducked down an alleyway. Kim almost ran past, but Shego reached out and drew her in.

"Sh." Shego commanded, staring out the alleyway. A moment later a panting henchman ran past, his eyes focused forward. "Can you climb with him?"

Kim felt completely unable to do such a task, but nodded anyways. She could do anything. Shego led her to a fire escape ladder and she jumped up to the first rung. Lugging Ron made it difficult to see where to put her feet, but she somehow made it to the first landing. Behind her, Shego whispered that Kim should climb three flights and then go through the open window.

"Where is this?" Kim asked as she slid into the dark room. Shego plopped in and flicked a light switch.

"Welcome to my lair."

"Seriously? Your lair?" Kim stared at the sparsely decorated apartment. If she hadn't been exhausted, a laugh would have ripped out from her lungs.

Shego shrugged. "You can put him on the floor. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Do you have a bathroom?"

_What kind of question was that,_ Shego scoffed. "Of course I have a bathroom."

"Well where is it?" Kim snapped back.

"Down that hallway. First door on your right."

Kim stumbled to follow this new set of directions. She locked the door behind herself and collapsed against the sink. When breathing became easier, she twisted the faucet until warm water splashed out and dunked her face into the stream. A glance at herself in the mirror caused a ripple of shock to pass through her. She knew she had pushed herself, but she hadn't known how evident that was. Her skin was pale, her hair mussed. Dark rings coated the skin under her eyes.

"Are you okay in there?" Shego knocked on the door as she spoke, prepared to open it if Kim didn't respond.

"I'm… fine. I guess."

"Ron made some noises."

The door swung open quickly and Kim ran past her to where she had left Ron on the ground. The blond boy had one eye open, but opened the other when he saw Kim coming to him.

"K.P!"

"Ron, how are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm a little queasy." Ron blinked slowly. "And I feel like I'm a square peg that was jammed into a round hole." Upon seeing Kim's worried lips begin to quiver, he added. "But I'm alright. Or I will be."

Shego watched the scene from a distance, her body leaning against a wall with delicate balance. She hadn't been planning on keeping two young adults in her home, but there didn't seem to be another option at the moment. The best she could do was start planning their next move. Obviously Ron was incapable of most things, but Kim had kept up with her.

"Possible."

"My name is Kim."

Shego waggled her fingers dismissively. "Tomato, tomahto."

"Possible is just so… formal." Kim insisted. "And you saved us. So… we're indebted, I guess."

"Look, Princess, I don't care about formalities." Shego padded to her television set and flicked it on. She flipped to a station blaring the news and pointed to the images, all of which depicted the warehouse where Kim and Ron had been held captive. "We need to come up with a counterstrategy, and quickly. Drakken is already poisoning the public against you."

Kim watched as her picture, and Rons, were placed next to Shego's mug shot. "Wait, they think we're criminals?"

"Well, that's the story Drakken is giving them. It tailors so prettily with what he did to me." She mused. "You weren't the first one he extended that offer to, just the first one to reject him."

"You said yes?"

"I thought I was doing the right thing." Shego picked at something beneath one of her nails. "I just misunderstood."

"And now you're a criminal mastermind." Ron threw in sullenly. He hadn't moved from the floor.

"Mastermind? Such a flatterer." Shego snapped. "It's not like I had many options left after Destructo Boy there ruined my life."

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, thoughts of her own ruination adding an edge of fear to her voice.

"Well, when you're called a criminal by the city's most major hero, people take notice. I couldn't get a real job, or even make real connections with people. It was either take the role given to me or starve."

"You should have starved." Ron muttered darkly. "You're still doing bad things. You're in the wrong."

"You think I don't know that?" Shego advanced upon him, her hands flaring up with her emotions. "You try being in my position for even a few hours."

"Can I call my parents?" Kim asked, breaking through their confrontation. Her eyes were glued to the floor. Of all the crap that had come raining down on her head, that betrayal had been the most painful. Despite Shego's insistence that Kim remain incommunicado, Kim eventually decided to ignore the super villain and placed the call anyways.

"Hello? Kim?"

"Dad?"

"Are you okay?" His voice was strained with worry. She wished she were there with him to make that knot of fear in his stomach loosen.

"I'm okay, and so's Ron."

"I'm glad."

"Dad?"

"Do we have to do this now?"

"Why did you just hand Ron over?"

Any second Kim expected to hear the dial tone. Instead she heard her father sigh deeply.

"Doctor Drakken approached us a week ago with his plan. We refused. So he told us we could either facilitate this, or he would simply use force. He implied that all of us would get hurt, you and Ron, too. So we went along with it. It was for the best, wasn't it?"

"Why didn't you contact the police?" Kim tried to keep her voice steady.

"We did, but Drakken's a hero. If he thinks it's for the best, so do they…" Mr. Possible cleared his throat and Kim wondered if he was tearing up. "I never… We never wanted you to get hurt."

"Mom was against it?"

"Yes and no." He enunciated slowly. "She didn't want to force you to make a decision, but when we were threatened, she had to admit that this could possibly show you the right path…"

"How dare she…"

"She feels terribly." Her father interrupted. "So please don't hold it against her. She likes to find the best of every situation, you know that."

Kim's face drooped. "I know."

"Listen, will you call us again soon? I just… we've been on the phone a few minutes now and… well, what if the police are tapping the line?"

Kim whispered a good bye, and an I love you and hung up. Shego waited impatiently by her side.

"Well, did you get what you wanted?"

"No." Kim shook her head. "I feel like that's a theme lately."

Ron drew himself off the ground, his body more stabile now, and crossed to her side. "Don't worry, K.P., things'll get better."

"Not as long as Drakken's in charge." Kim stated blandly, her eyes on the ground.

Shego snapped her fingers. "Maybe that's what needs to change."

"What are you talking about?"

"We just need to oust him from power. Would your parents be willing to talk to the press?"

Kim bit her lower lip, unsure. "Why?"

"Maybe nobody would believe their story, but if we could just start getting it out there that Drakken isn't as great as he says, well, maybe… I don't know." Shego's plan stuttered off. Ron's hand rose in the air – Shego rolled her eyes and point at him. "Yes, blondie?"

"What if another hero stepped in?"

The two women fell silent – Shego wondering how much it would take to convince Kim to do it, and Kim wondering where they would find such a hero. Eventually Kim felt Shego's eyes on her.

"Who, me?" Kim gulped audibly. "But I thought all of this was so that I wouldn't have to do anything I didn't want to."

"You wouldn't have to," Shego purred, "but imagine what you could do."

Kim recoiled. "You just want another obstacle out of your way. No way. I'm not making it easier for you to be a villain."

Shego placed her hand on Kim's arm, shivering slightly at the cold there. "Listen here, Princess, this isn't about me. Hell, it's not about you, either, so get off your high horse. Regardless of your feelings, can't you understand that Drakken is a tyrant?"

Kim yanked her arm out of Shego's grip. "I get it, I do, but I don't have to be the one that leads this coup. Why not you?"

Ron laughed quietly. "Like anybody would support the city's biggest villain. You're in the best position, Kim."

"Not you, too, Ron." Kim shook her head at him and fled back to the bathroom. Shego listened to the door lock.

"That could have gone better." Shego commented.

|x|x|x|

As day came, and rolled around again to evening, Kim found herself sitting out of the fire escape with Shego. Ron had crashed upon the couch and they could hear his snoring. While Kim was in the bathroom, Shego had been convinced by a wheedling Ron to go and rescue Rufus from the apartment, and the small rodent was curled up on Kim's lap.

Shego pulled a cigarette out of one of her pockets and lit it with the tip of one finger. Kim watched, mesmerized by the glowing tip. When Shego reached the end, she squashed the butt between her fingers and tossed it into the alley below.

"What do you think I should do?"

Caught off guard by the question, Shego busied herself with straightening her top before answering. "I think you should do it – and before you go off on me again, not for my personal gain."

Kim blushed, those very thoughts on the tip of her tongue. "Then why?"

"Because this city doesn't need a megalomaniac at the helm."

"What good would it do, though, to get rid of the man who keeps the city safe?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why this city has half the problems it does? I mean, sure other cities have their heroes, and their problems, but have you ever noticed this city has twice as many?"

Kim twirled a strand of her hair around one finger. "I just figured it was because you were an exceptional villain, and he was an exceptional hero. The bigger the powers, the bigger the problems, right?"

"I guess." Shego watched as a shift in the temperature raised another row of goose bumps on the smaller woman's flesh. "But I learned a lot during the time I was sidekick. Like how he set problems up so that he could look like a better hero."

"You can't be serious."

"I am." Shego leaned back and folded her arms behind her head. Kim admired her grace before her cheeks reddened and she went back to staring at the bricks in the building across the way.

"I guess I've been too optimistic, huh?"

Shego snorted. "You could say that, Princess."

"What's with you calling me Princess, anyway?"

"You wanted something less formal."

Kim resisted the urge to smack her forehead with her palm. "You could just call me Kim, you know."

"We'll see." Shego's tone implied that no such thing would occur. "So, if you usurped him as head honcho, then half the problems would disappear. You could retire, and the city's other heroes could return."

"I used to love Melodious Man." Kim grinned, at last a natural enjoyment filling her. "I thought it was so cool how he could just sing his way through evil."

Shego laughed, surprising herself. It had been a while since she had genuinely laughed and her throat was ill-prepared for the noise. "But his costume…"

"A grown man can wear a tutu." Kim argued vehemently, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Sure, and a rat can fly."

"Either way, he was awesome." Kim sighed. "Whatever happened to him?"

"I'm not sure." Shego stared up at the last shreds of sunlight bleeding out of the sky. "My bet is that Drakken had something to do with it. Have you noticed that there are no heroes in this town other than him and the two-bit goons under his control?"

Kim nodded. "I just figured that Drakken took care of all the bad guys, so there wasn't enough business to go around."

Instead of answering, Shego closed her eyes and soaked in the cool air. Though her core temperature could be controlled, it never seemed to drop below 100° and she relished any opportunity to make herself colder. It was never pleasant, to be sure, but it was always something different.

"But really you should just do what you want to do." Shego murmured. A certain contented sleepiness had slipped into her without her noticing. "It's your life, still."

"I guess."

"That's how I got where I am. I was his sidekick, but I didn't like him. I didn't like his leering and his plotting and his scheming. It felt wrong to me. So I told him I was going."

"Didn't take it well?"

"Not a smidgeon." Shego sneered. "He called hell down upon me. People knew who I was and where I lived. I could barely go outside, let alone buy groceries or contact my family."

"You have family?"

"What, didn't think a super villain could have one of those?"

Kim dropped her head guiltily. "It just didn't seem like the sort of thing you'd have."

"We all come from somewhere, Princess."

"Do you miss them?"

"Not really. Sometimes. My mom and I were close when I was growing up – up until the accident really. Something changed then – and not just me and my brothers." Unsure of her actions, Kim scooted a little closer to Shego, if only to hear a little better. "It was like she was uncomfortable with all of us. Like somehow we weren't her kids anymore."

"Do you still talk?"

"I did for a while. I think she was proud I was helping the city. But after I started doing evil, well, she stopped answering my phone calls."

"What about your brothers?"

"They went with my Uncle out of the country. Something about a European League of Justice. I stayed because this was home."

"It's not anymore?"

"What do you think?" Shego snapped back. All of this tender sharing and caring was getting under skin. She allowed Kim in to make the redhead feel better, but this was touching a little too close to home. Kim jumped back as if Shego had burned her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the delay. Just working some kinks out. Anyways, I'm very grateful for those of you who have reviewed in the past. I do change the story according to comments that are made, depending on if they make me think. If you have negative comments, I'm glad to hear them. If you have positive comments, I'm glad to hear them.**

**Toodles, Qym.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Update Schedule: **Will be once a week on Saturday evenings/Sunday afternoon.

* * *

><p>Chapter Six<br>In Which a Hero Learns

"No, no. Never tuck your thumb under your fingers when you make a fist. You'll hurt yourself that way. Fold it over your bent fingers like that." Shego gripped Kim's fist and shifted it. "Remember how that feels."

Kim loosened and reclenched her fist in the same fashion. "Got it."

"Didn't you say you took karate as a kid?"

Kim blushed. "I was five. I was more interested in tying my belt into a bow than in punching other little kids."

"Well, we can still hope that something soaked into that thick skull of yours, Princess."

Bristling, Kim tightened her fist. Shego's tone was like bamboo slats under her finger nails. "I'll get it down."

"Yeah." Shego picked at her own fingernails idly. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Kim lobbed a punch at her. It was wild and lacked form, but Kim relied upon her raw power. Shego sidestepped the blow easily and tapped Kim's shoulder. Kim tumbled sideways, off balance.

"This isn't about just beating the crap out of your enemy." Shego lectured as Kim swung back at her. "This is about knowing what you're doing. Anybody can hit hard, but rarely can anybody hit well."

Though her anger and frustration begged her to continue her onslaught, Kim quelled her emotions and stood quite still. "You're right."

Shego snorted, unused to someone actually admitting that. "Of course I am. Get into your horse stance."

Kim followed Shego's directions, committing each motion and stance to memory. Later, when Shego was not around, she'd drill them into her muscle memory. But for now, she didn't want to give Shego anything more than was requested. They worked for close to two hours before Shego clapped her hands.

"That's barely the basics, but at least it's something."

Kim couldn't resist ribbing the woman who had been driving her crazy for days. "Tired already, old lady?"

Shego growled at her and fell into a fighting stance. "Not at all. I just figured your tiny brain couldn't take anymore. If you think you've got it down, come at me, bro."

Kim lunged forward. She made sure her fist was properly formed before she swung it at the side of Shego's face. Shego dodged backwards and delivered a swift kick at the back of Kim's knees. Kim jumped out of the way and snagged Shego's wrists. Once she was behind the larger woman, Kim used her super strength to keep Shego's hands there. As Kim was about to utter a triumphant laugh, Shego added a blast of heat to her skin. Kim dropped Shego's wrists in shock. Shego spun around, ready to attack, but paused at Kim's stunned expression.

"What's wrong with you? Was that too hot?"

"I could feel it. A tickling warmth."

"A warmth." Shego kept her tone flat, though her heart thundered. She had raised her skin temperature to approximately 175°, enough to burn if Kim hadn't let go.

"Yeah. Can you do it again?"

Shego held her arm out. "You hold on. Just let go when it gets too hot."

Kim nodded and held on. Shego raised her temperature slowly, by ten degrees or so at a time. Despite the increasing heat, Kim only grinned. Finally Shego cut the heat on her skin and Kim dropped the offered limb.

"It's been a while since I've felt that." Kim muttered mournfully. "It was interesting."

Shego wiped a few beads of sweat from her brow. "Yeah, well."

"So do you think I'm ready?"

"For what?"

"Fighting!" Kim threw a few punches at the air, followed by a sloppy roundhouse kick for good measure. Although she was initially against the idea of being a hero, her natural competitiveness drove her to want to succeed.

"If you mean fighting kindergartners, then maybe."

"What d'you mean?" Kim pouted. "I almost had you."

"You're still relying on your strength. Which is a weakness."

"Why shouldn't I? It's what makes me super."

"If that's all you have, you're in trouble. What are you going to do when someone figures out a way to circumvent your strength? Are you just going to give up?"

"No." Kim hung her head. "I suppose not."

"Good. You're not as dumb as you look."

Kim stuck her tongue out at Shego, having learned that Shego's jibes generally held no real malice behind them. The learning curve on that tidbit had been steep, but after she'd had her realization, living with the surly woman had become easier.

"Ladies! Lunch is ready!"

Kim trotted to the kitchen and found Ron hunched over a bubbling pot. Rufus clung to his shoulder, squeaking excitedly.

"Oh, yeah, Ron? What's on the menu?"

He sniffed the concoction before him. "I call it – clam chowder!"

Shego slunk into the kitchen with her arms folded across her chest. "Finally something normal."

Ron held his forefinger up to her. "Clam chowder with a cheddar puff breading."

Following Shego's example, Kim held her forehead with her hands and shook her head. "Ron… why?"

"I don't get it." Ron held his hands up, palms up. "I'm a culinary genius."

"Call it that. Go for it." Shego snapped. "But stop making me want to vomit."

"You haven't even tried it yet."

Kim grabbed Shego's wrist as the furious woman reached to claw Ron's face off. "Easy, Shego."

"Yes. Easy, Shego." Ron sniffed and ladled soup into three bowls. "Just be glad someone is cooking at all."

When the two had arrived, Ron had been astonished to find mostly empty cabinets. The food that was there was either several years expired or prepackaged cardboard. Shego begrudgingly let him take over kitchen duties, though in hindsight she realized that had been a risky decision.

"Well, ladies, bon appétit."

|x|x|x|

If there was one thing in his life that Drew Lipsky loved, other than his mother, it was the building in which he housed his headquarters. In the center of downtown, it loomed over the other buildings and the jagged "D" on the roof stood in stark contrast with whatever clouds floated behind it. He sat in his large leather chair, behind his impressive mahogany desk, and stared out the window.

Beneath him cars zigged by like insects. The dots that were people were barely discernible. The way it should be, he thought with verve. Regular people were there to color his world, providing the pigment, the backdrop, to his life. Nothing happened in Go City without his say so, without his first approving the plan. Or that's at least what he wanted. This ordeal with the Possible girl was getting out of control.

When he had donned the name Drakken, he had promised to never bow down to another person again. All it had taken was one Tuesday to ruin his life – but he'd turned it around. He'd used that failure that had left his skin blue and his ego bruised to create a multi-million dollar corporation that catered to funding the gadgets he used as a super hero.

"Bruce Wayne, eat your heart out." Drakken cackled to his empty room. He wheeled around in his chair, to look back at the newspaper on his desk. That pesky Possible family had done what he'd told them not. They had spoken to the press.

_**Possibles Forced by Dr. Drakken: Impossible?**  
><em>_Betty Director_

_Late last week the Possible family was handed an ultimatum, or so says James P. Possible, purported victim. The last name should be familiar to all: The eldest child of the family Kimberly was the subject of an attack just weeks previous which left her with superhuman powers. This is the same young woman that Dr. Drakken extended an offer of friendship to and the same young woman that Dr. Drakken has now cast an ill-light upon._

The article went on to comment upon Kim's glowing history as a law-abiding citizen, and even touched upon Drakken's previous sidekick, Shego. Drakken ripped the paper in half, panting with the effort. Each time he read the blasted article, his temper flared more and more.

"Nobody reads this stupid paper anyways." He rationalized as he slammed his fists into the desktop. "The _Go City Times_ is practically a slander mill. Nobody will believe it."

He paced to a large portrait of himself on the wall and placed one hand on the frame. That good for nothing red head was not going to destroy his empire. He worked too hard to get to his position. The girl would have to be destroyed first.

|x|x|x|

Kim slid down until she felt her center of gravity settle. With her balance firm, she took several deep breaths and fixed her gaze on her opponent. Shego smirked back at her. The living room had been cleared of all furniture, though most of it had already been broken. Ron stood on the sidelines with a dinged-up video camera.

"Are you both ready?" Ron clenched the camera. "Then, on your marks. Get set. Go!"

In spite of Ron's enthusiastic launching of their fight, neither party moved for the first five seconds. Ron groaned. He was videotaping because he was sure this was going to be an epic battle. In the two weeks that Shego had spent training Kim, Kim had grown by leaps and bounds. She was nowhere near as practiced as Shego, but had something other than her strength to rely upon.

"Any time you're ready?" Ron coaxed. "Camera's on and all that. So. You know. Get to it."

Finally Shego's stance relaxed. "Yeah, like she could even land a blow."

"Nice try, Shego." Kim retorted. "You won't be able to goad me into the first strike."

Shego leaned against the wall and picked at her fingernails, a habit that made Kim crazy. The sound of each nail snattering made her want to smack her head against a wall.

"Anytime now, Princess."

Kim hesitated. All of her training urged her to wait, to see what Shego had planned, but all of her emotions were fixated on making Shego stop that noise. She pounced forward. Her first blow, an attempt to sweep Shego's legs out from under her, was a failure, but she followed Shego's trajectory and followed up with a backhand.

Shego dodged the hand directed at her face and responded with a series of quick jabs at Kim's abdomen. Only a few actually found purchase before Kim bounced away and resettled into a secure stance. Ron watched the continuous flurries as they exchanged blows with mouth agape and an awestruck line of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth. He'd never expected Kim to get so good so quickly.

The two parties skidded apart and stood several yards away from each other. Kim pawed at a few beads of blood trickling from a cut on her forehead as Shego cracked her knuckles. This time their pause was brief and Kim was flying at her opponent once more. The fun halted only when Kim put her fist through a wall right beside Shego's head.

"Yield." Kim demanded. "I could have taken your head off."

"But you didn't, so I won't." Shego tried to duck away, but Kim jabbed her other fist through Shego's exit path. "No."

"Yield."

Shego jabbed her claws at Kim's throat, but Kim leaned out of the way. Taking that as her opportunity to escape, Shego leapt, only to find herself dragged back into place. Kim closed the distance between them.

"Say it already."

"Never."

"Say that I'm better than you are. Just say it. Kim Possible is the best fighter I've ever met and I wish I was as cool as she was."

Shego shook her head vehemently. "I won't lie like that."

Kim grabbed Shego's wrist and tightened her grip. She knew from experience that her fingers were like a steel vise.

"Say it."

"Hey guys?" Ron hollered. They ignored him.

"Make me." Shego hissed. She pressed her forehead against Kim's and strained. Kim's super strength, however, was not to be bested – Kim remained unmoved.

Adopting Shego's trademark smirk, Kim tilted her head and kissed her opponent. Shego's body went rigid. Once Shego was completely lax before her, Kim pulled away and cheered.

"I have bested the best!"

"That was a cheap shot." Shego hollered. She scrubbed her lips with the edge of her tank top. "That doesn't count."

"And why not? I didn't rely completely on my super strength did I?"

"So, what, are you just going to kiss anyone that gives you trouble?"

"Guys?" Ron tried again.

"Maybe I will." Kim laughed. "Worked well enough on you, didn't it?"

"Shut up!" Shego roared. "I still won't say it."

"You don't have to." Kim teased. "I already know it's true. I won and you lost, you sore loser."

"Princess, the day you win is the day I'll shoot myself out of a rocket into the sun." Shego snarled.

"Kim!" Ron screeched. The pitch of his voice finally brought Kim's attention to her blond friend.

"What is it Ron?"

"You guys should look out the window."

Kim turned slowly to look out the window and out onto the fire escape. A feminine droid looked back at her.

"Identification: Kimberly Possible." It chirped. "Affirmative."

"What is that?"

Shego lit up her hand and shot a plasma blast at the robot. The green fire seeped into the droid's metal body and was completely absorbed.

"It looks like Drakken finally completed work on his Bebe drones." Shego groaned. "They were probably the only good ideas he ever had."

"Should I be worried?"

Ron turned the video camera towards the silent, staring droid on the fire escape.

"Well, have you done anything lately that might make the good doctor mad?" Shego's tone was flat, but Kim caught the underlying sarcasm.

"Maybe."

The droid twisted its head to look at Shego. The sound of metal scraping metal made Kim cover her ears.

"Identification: Shelley Hugo otherwise known as Shego." It chirped. "Affirmative."

"What do we do?" Kim balled her hands up into fists.

"Take it down?"

Before either could move, the droid had crashed through the window pane. Its arm morphed into the barrel of a gun. Kim threw herself out of the way as a bullet ripped out of the Bebe's arm.

Shego grabbed her cell phone as she too dodged out of the way. "Can you keep it busy?"

"I don't think I have a choice." Kim yelled back.

"I just have a phone call to make." Shego sped through her list of contacts. It rang twice and before she could be greeted, she barked out, "I know I promised never again, but I need your help. We need your help, actually."

"We can't keep doing this, Shego." Wade insisted. "I'm clean now."

"I know, I know! But… er… p-please." The word was hard to pronounce and Shego grimaced. "I'll make it worth your while."

"How?"

"Look, I'll give your number to my friend here. She's going to be a hero. You could finally, you know, make up for your past by helping her help the world?"

Wade went silent for three painfully long seconds. Because she knew her voice would only irritate Wade into doing the opposite of her request, she bit down onto her lips.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Drakken finished his Bebe." Shego watched as the machine ripped after Kim, who was keeping ahead of the destructive unit, but just barely. "Can you get hold of his blueprints and find out where the self-destruct button is?"

"Would Drakken really build a robot with that sort of button on it?" Wade wondered as he typed. "Is anybody really that stupid?"

"You forget who we're talking about." Shego charged her fist once more as she waited and blasted the droid from the rear. Her beam, this time, left a scorch mark on the Bebe's sleek steel plating.

"I've got the plans here."

"And?"

"Do you see a triangular plate between its shoulders?"

Shego looked up just in time to see a blast coming at her. She rolled to the side and waved away the billowing debris around her. "I see it."

"If you can tear that plate off, there should be an emergency OFF switch there."

Shego gripped the phone between her teeth and tore after the robot. It had already done irreparable damage to her home, but she could still stop it from doing irreparable damage to her companions. She tackled the droid from behind and slammed her clawed fist into the metal plating. Sensing possible danger, the Bebe began beating on Shego's exposed limbs with its metal appendages. Bruises blossomed on the pale green skin each blow found. Unwilling to simply watch this happen, Kim ran over and grabbed the robot's wrists, like she had done to Shego earlier that month. She could hear the gears squalling as the Bebe tried to pull free. Bracing herself, Kim yanked on the arms and fell the shoulders give way. She fell backwards with two robotic arms in her hands.

Taking her opportunity, Shego plunged her fists once more into the plate and ripped it off. She slammed her hand down on the button and was relieved to see the Bebe droop in her grip. All at once the killing machine was a pile of useless metal.

Kim sat on the floor panting and bleeding. She stared at Shego who was in an equally dilapidated state. The look in Shego's eyes was unreadable. Kim transferred her gaze to the ground.

"I guess we can't stay here anymore."

"Guys!" Ron crowed. "This is the most awesome footage ever! Michael Bay would be so jealous!"

Kim allowed her upper body to join her lower body in protest on the floor. If this is what she had to look forward to, she almost didn't want to follow through with the plan. But a hand on her lower leg made her head dart up.

"You did good, kid." Shego grunted.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I have no personal love of Michael Bay, other than for the explosions he abuses in his films. In other news, I have a clean bathroom, complete with hand-scrubbed toilet.

Toodles, Qym


	7. Chapter 7

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Update Schedule: **Will be once a week on Saturday evenings/Sunday afternoon.

* * *

><p>Chapter Seven<br>In Which a Hero Breaks a Few Laws

The blank computer screen was not normally daunting to Betty Director, Columnist for the Go City Times – even under periods of high stress and passed deadlines. However, something about this particular article was creating difficulties. She tapped the spacebar a few times, then deleted the spaces she created. Clucking her tongue against her teeth, she spaced again.

"Director, I have the pages you wanted."

She glanced up and into the eyes of her assistant. He saluted her quite seriously and she held back her desire to roll her eyes. His willingness to please was usually a boon, yet as of late she felt that he was getting too attached to her, too demanding of her praise and attention. She felt like he was regressing into a hapless puppy.

"Thanks, Will." She hesitated a moment, but couldn't refuse the shine in his eyes despite the firm rigidity of his salute. "Good job."

"Is there anything else you require?"

"How about a coffee?"

"Two sugars?"

"And a half and half." She requested. His footsteps faded behind her and she turned her attention back to the screen. With his reports beside her, she typed a short, temporary title for her next piece: _Hero or Zero_. It was terrible, she was well aware, but it was a start.

After a few rough sentences, she picked up the top sheet from Will's pile. A series of police reports had never quite made it into official filings. She wasn't sure what Will had done to obtain these documents, but she was grateful for his thoroughness and determination. Many of the reports detailed witness descriptions of a tall blue man setting fires, digging ditches, laying bear traps, and doing various other shady activities. All signs seemed to point at Drakken, yet nobody pressed charges or spoke of the incidents. Betty was baffled.

"Your coffee."

She twitched at his intrusion. After years of his almost ninja-like quietness, she had built up a certain resistance to being surprised, but it was imperfect. He sat beside her, sipping his own simple black coffee. Blowing the heat off hers, she stared down into the liquid.

"Betty?"

"Yes, Will?"

"Did you read that?"

She glanced up and then towards the paper sitting on her desk, the one he pointed at. She shrugged. "I did."

"Is it serious?"

"Maybe. But this has to come out." Betty retorted. "This city needs justice, and the world beyond it."

"What did he say?" Will tossed his empty cup into the waste bin.

"Just that, and I quote, I need to seriously cut it out before I ruin his rep." Betty sniffed. "But if he thinks he can deter us…"

"Is it a threat?"

"No, otherwise our job would be even easier. We'd have it on record that he sent us something and he wouldn't have deniability. I wish he was dumber."

Will peered over her shoulder at the computer screen. She threw her hand into his line of vision.

"Looks like you have a good start."

She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic. "I guess. But we have to be careful. We need to look as authoritative as possible. Bringing him down won't be easy, and he won't come quietly."

"Did you talk to Her?" From the intonation of his voice, she could sense the capitalization. It was as close as they would come to actually naming Kim Possible – just in case someone was listening.

"Not yet. Not past the letter."

"Are you going to?"

"If I need to, I will." Betty swiveled back around and cracked her knuckles. "If you're quiet, you can stay."

"I could go see what else the library has on his history."

"Do it." She commanded. He saluted again, but this time the tiniest of smiles was on his face. When he was gone, she pulled out her cell phone, dialed, and waited.

"Hello?"

"Miss Possible?"

"How did you get my number? Who is this?"

Betty chuckled. "You gave it to me. This is Betty Director."

"Oh! I'm sorry."

Betty could almost see the blush spreading over Kim's cheeks. "I was calling to see if you'd like to meet with me. Give me your side of the story."

"I'm not sure." Kim murmured. Although she had given Betty her number for just that purpose, she didn't want any negative backlash at either herself or her family.

"We could give you a codename."

"What, like Deep Throat?" Kim laughed.

"If you want. But try not to think of this like Watergate. Drakken is no president."

"What if we just called me… Cold Steel."

_Could use a little work_, Betty thought, but as she glanced at her own shoddy work on her computer, she realized that everything could. Agreeing to Kim's terms, Betty began jotting down the shorthand version of what happened to Kim, and then spent the rest of the hour filling out the details. By the end of their conversation, Betty felt as if she had been handed a treasure map, guided along the dotted path, and then given the shovel to dig up where the X marked.

"This should be published sometime next week."

"Do you think anybody will read it?"

"Come on." Betty chided. "This is the expose of a lifetime. Someone will notice. People will care. This isn't fabricated. No matter how much the good doctor might wish."

"Well, it better work."

"Leave that to me." Betty promised. "What's your next move?"

"Good question." Kim responded. "I'll let you know as soon as I do."

Upon hanging up, Betty turned by to her computer and began typing with renewed vigor.

|x|x|x|

Kim stood on the edge of a rooftop. Her newly crafted superhero uniform had not yet been broken in, and clung to her in awkward places. Beside her, Ron crouched. Thanks to Shego's friend, Ron was outfitted in gear that would help him help Kim in case problems arose. He clicked a button on the device in his hand. The screen showed two green dots – which represented them – and a red dot.

"The bank is three blocks that way." Ron pointed north before tucking the GPS into his pocket.

"I don't know if I want to do this, Ron."

"You're going to do it and you're going to like it."

Kim tensed her muscles briefly. "You've been spending too much time with Shego."

"Regardless."

"Fine. Let's go."

He rubbed his neck with one hand. "I was just going to, y'know, wait here for you."

"Are you serious?"

"We'll be connected by earpieces." He reached out and tapped the little nub in her ear. "But I'll honestly just be slowing you down. I can't run, or jump, or fight. You'd spend half of the time worrying that I wasn't getting exploded."

"I guess so."

"I know so. So can I get a booyah?"

"Booyah." Kim muttered.

Alone, she lunged off the rooftop and to the next one. Her leg muscles tensed and released, easily giving her the power she needed. As she drew nearer to the bank, she waited expectantly for Ron's voice and directions in her ear.

"Do you see the front of the bank?" He crackled in.

"Yes. There are, like, five police cars and a S.W.A.T. van."

"Well, according to this Wade kid there are two robbers inside and fifteen hostages. Ten of those are bank employees."

"So what am I going to do?"

"The map shows a back entrance. If you go around to the alleyway behind it… Tell me what you see."

Kim leapt from building to building and then threw herself the two stories to the ground. She landed with a pronounced thud and stood up. She saw no door.

"I don't see anything, Ron."

"Are you sure? There's definitely a way in marked on the map."

She peered again at the building in front of her. Six feet above her head was a steel grate that probably lead to the ventilation system. Grimacing, she jumped up and snagged her fingers into it. Bracing her feet against the brick wall, she pulled until the steel snapped out of place. Before she could fall backwards onto her ass, she grabbed the edge of the vent. It was times like these that she was glad it was more difficult to cut her skin. For a moment she wasn't sure she would be able to drag herself inside – but the moment slipped away and she slipped into the darkness.

"Make two lefts, and then a right. Then go straight ahead until you're in the room the thieves are in."

She reached into one of the pockets on her utility belt and brought out a mini flashlight. Following Ron's directions was easier with the path lit. Eventually she found the room and peered through the grates. The two thieves were easy to spot. Everyone else was plastered face down on the ground with their hands attached to their heads.

"See 'em?"

She wished she didn't have to speak to answer, but whispered as quietly as she could, "Yes."

"Can you point your watch at them and hit the button on the side?" Instead of answering, she merely did as she was told. A small laser darted out and scanned the room. Luckily neither of the two robbers noticed. "Alright, they're both armed, so you'll have to be careful. The one on your right has the one gun in his hands, and a second tucked away in the back of his pants. The other has two in holsters on his hips."

"Got it."

In one motion she beat the vent in and swung into the room. The robbers spun to look at her and fired a round of bullets. She dove behind a counter and yelled a verbal warning at them. When they responded with laughter, she stood up straight and advanced on them.

"Stop laughing! I'm being totally serious here!"

The taller thief took in her skin tight navy tights with matching shin length boots, while his buddy snickered at the latex white leotard adorning her upper half. A pair of navy gauntlets protected her arms. She was just thankful there was no cape, but she did have to live with a hard plastic mask glued to the areas around her eyes.

"And who are you supposed to be? Supergirl?" The tall one called.

"Halloween's not for months, kid. Go back your mommy."

"I'm going to stop you." Kim announced. Their attitudes towards her riled her up. They weren't nearly as annoying as Shego, but they were certainly committing crimes and making fun of her outfit. "And we're working on it."

She watched them relax, clearly labeling her a nonthreatening entity. She used their mistake in a heartbeat by dashing at them and grabbing each of them on the neck. Before they could complain she slammed their foreheads together and they tumbled down to the ground. She checked their pulses, to make sure she hadn't created a fatality, and then turned to the hostages.

"You can all get up now. You're safe."

The first man to rise wore a nametag that labeled him as "Mark – Head Teller." Mark shook her hand and she tried not to shudder at the amount of sweat the clung to his fingers.

"Who are you?"

Kim boxed her shoulders and tried to look at something far off in the distance. "You can call me Cold Steel."

Slowly the rest of the hostages stood up and filed towards the doors. She headed them off and stepped out into the police's lights. Tensing at the sheer amount of firearms pointed at her body, she blocked her eyes from the intensity of the lights.

"Stand down!" She yelled. "I'm not a bad guy. These are the hostages – and the bad guys are inside on the floor!"

"Good job!" Ron crowed in her ear. "You totally were like WHAM! POW! KIZZOW!"

"Is your entire life a comic book?" She asked him under her breath as police rushed past her into the building.

"No, just the awesome parts." He corrected. "So you can come back now and help me home. I have a lot of gear to carry."

"One second." Kim strolled over the news vans parked as near to the crime as possible and waved down one of the reporters. When one ran to her with his microphone outstretched, Kim took a deep breath and summoned the speech that she and Betty had decided upon. "My name is Cold Steel." Kim stared into the camera. "I am a new breed of superhero, the kind this city actually needs. Do not be fooled into complacency. Check tomorrow's Go City Times for an article by Betty Director. Instruct yourselves."

With her piece said, and her nerves shot, Kim ran for the side of a building and jumped. Letting her fingers sink into the bricks, she scaled the side of the building and began bounding back to Ron. Betty's speech had felt so stiff and fake, but Kim felt the message was there. She just hoped people actually listened to it.

When the paper came out the next morning, two parties most certainly paid it heed. The first of which proceeded to shred the offending article into pieces – the second stroked his chin in thought.

|x|x|x|

Although Kim felt invincible after a string of heroic deeds, she still wanted to sleep more than she wanted to celebrate. The foiling of the bank robbery had been her first act of heroism and since then she and Ron had worked with Wade approximately five times in the past three days. Crime never rested, it seemed, but she needed to.

"Wake me up in six years." Kim grumbled.

"Your name shouldn't be Cold Steel," a particular laughing voice interrupted her attempt at a nap, "it should be Sleeping Beauty."

"At least I'm beautiful." Kim pulled a pillow over her ears. "Unlike some of us."

"Oh ouch." Shego sneered. "I take it back. You'd probably be more like the Beast. Except there's not magic spell that'll remove your curse."

"What's yours?" Kim snapped back. "Contrariness?"

"My contrary nature is not a curse. It's a gift."

Kim peeked out at the infuriating woman near her. "I suppose you're not going to just let me sleep?"

Shego laughed. "That would be too nice, and aren't I a supervillain?"

"Don't remind me. I should turn you in to the cops."

"But you won't."

Kim wrinkled her nose. "Has Drakken been active anywhere?"

Ignoring Kim's attempt at changing the direction of the conversation, Shego plopped down on Kim's mattress. "Why won't you, anyways? Turn me in, I mean."

"Why does it matter?"

"The city's newest superhero is harboring a supervillain?"

"Isn't it more that the city's most devious supervillain is harboring a goody-two-shoes?"

Shego crossed her arms; Kim imagined this to be Shego's form of an emotional shield.

"Why does it matter?"

Kim sniffed. "Oh how the tables have turned."

"Shut up." Shego turned to the look at the wall. "So your last mission… I saw you got blown into a building."

Expecting a critique on her fighting form or a crack at her clumsiness, Kim frowned. "Yeah, maybe I did. But I got the job done."

"And you're not hurt?" Shego kept her tone flat so as not to betray her fear.

"Not a scratch. Maybe a bruise." Kim poked at a slight discoloration in her arm. "Yeah, just this little bruise."

"Well, good."

"I know, right? Ron's been great at letting me know what's up."

"I'm sure he's fantastic." Then, if just to maintain her reputation, Shego added, "For a doofus sidekick."

"Says the pot calling the kettle black."

"I was never a doofus."

"Sure." Kim tucked her pillow back under her head. "Now that we've got that settled…?"

"Right." Shego got up and went to Kim's bedroom door. She flicked the lights out. "You should, y'know, sleep tight."

"I won't let the bedbugs bite." Kim responded, closing her eyes.

Shego paused a moment in the doorway and stared at Kim's lank form. Her lips parted, as if she was going to speak again, but they closed just as quickly and she padded down the hallway. Some things didn't need to be said.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to think and write when you can barely breathe? Colds suck. End of statement. But you know what doesn't suck? Reviews.

Toodles! Qym.


	8. Chapter 8

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Apologies: **For those that didn't see my profile, I was otherwise occupied last week. Things are more regular now, so updates will resume the normal schedule.

* * *

><p>Chapter Eight<br>In Which a Hero Breaks a Few Laws

"Again."

Kim slammed her fist into the pad on Shego's hand.

"Fix your hand."

She shifted her fingers.

"Again."

Kim slammed her fist a little harder than before.

"Keep your guard up."

She tensed at Shego's critique, but raised her idle fist to protect the other side of her face.

"Again."

Kim slammed her fist.

"Again."

"Shego, this is pointless."

Shego glared at her. "And why's that, Princess?"

"For the past two weeks, I've been cleaning up! I've taken down every single bad guy in my path. I can even take you down!"

Shego folded her arms across her body. "Are you done yet?"

"No!" Kim knew, in that moment, that she sounded akin to a toddler having a temper tantrum. "You drill me at these basics of self defense over and over and over again, but it's, like, so clear I don't need them! You're wasting my time! I could be out there taking Drakken down so that I can go back to my old life and things can be normal again."

For a moment, Shego watched Kim's face turn various shades of red. She had scolded Kim before about the importance of form over raw power, but the impetuous young woman would have none of it. She even had to admit that Kim might have a point – Kim's muscles could outgun her enemies, and the thickness of her skin made it so that most blows didn't even register. She could take blow after blow and not feel it. Even Shego's heat had no effect on Kim.

"Things will never be normal again." Shego snipped. Although she had given up on convincing Kim about the importance of form, she refused to back down from chiding Kim's person. "You're just going to have to accept being weird."

"Does that mean we can stop?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Duh."

"Then do me one favor." Shego padded from the living room where they had been practicing to her bedroom. She pulled out her laptop and started it up. Kim idled in the doorway, looking obstinate with her arms firmly pressed across her body and her lips pursed.

"What?"

Shego brought up a video that Ron had recorded earlier that week. Kim watched her sparring match with Shego; while she knew that Shego wanted her to watch herself, Kim found herself staring at Shego's lithe form. Shego moved like a piece of silk wafting on the breeze.

"Do you see what I mean?"

Kim blinked a few times and then shook her head. "No. It looked like I kicked your butt."

Shego rewound the clip and paused it at a portion where her fist had connected with Kim's face. She tapped the screen with her fingertip.

"You could have avoided this blow. Why didn't you?"

"Because it didn't matter. I didn't feel it, and it let me get close enough to grab you."

"Maybe you don't feel the pain, but your body feels the blow. Don't you remember the bruise you got from that?"

"Nope." Kim did remember, but she wanted nothing more than to drive Shego batty. She understood what Shego was driving at, really she did – yet, because it was Shego, she didn't want to listen.

"Kim." Shego snapped. "I know you're not this stupid. What's the matter with you?"

"I-"

"And before you go giving me some bull shit response, think about all the shit I've done for you that I didn't have to."

"I don't want to talk about this. If I'm such a big deal to keep around, I'll hit the road."

"You have nowhere to go. Stop making rash decisions and talk to me."

Kim eyed Shego warily. She wasn't used to Shego actually sounding like she cared. For her part, Shego was glaring out the window like a wounded cat. It was Shego's reaction that sold Kim.

"I'm doing so well, but you keep tearing me down. It's just… I thought you'd be, y'know… proud of me."

Shego's knee-jerk response was to say, _I'd be more proud if you didn't put yourself in the way of bodily harm_, but she fought it. "You already know I am."

"Maybe." Kim muttered. "You don't know who I am, really."

"I guess not."

"Before all of this shit hit my fan, I was a pretty good student, a pretty good daughter, a pretty good best friend. I wasn't amazing or anything, but I had my life together. I was going to get my degree and start my life and be happy. It wasn't perfect, but it was mine." Kim wanted to add that she doubted that Shego would understand, but she withheld that remark as thoughts of Shego's childhood came into her mind.

"And you never thought you'd have to change?"

Kim ran her fingers down Shego's doorframe before walking away. Shego watched Kim retreat, but didn't follow.

|x|x|x|

"Hello?" Betty held the phone a small distance from her ear, just in case. She had grown accustomed to receiving angry phone calls that blasted her ear drums. The distance was a necessary safety precaution.

"Is this Betty Director?"

"Who's this?"

"My name is Wade Load." He waited a moment to see if she would remember him. He heard her take a minute gasp of air in. "Listen, before you do anything rash, I have a proposal for you."

Betty remembered the laundry list of crimes committed by a young computer hacker some half a decade ago. He had never caused another human harm, though, and had been off the radar for a while, so she remained on the line.

"I've been running a small Aquatics business for a while, but I feel like I should be doing more with my life. Do you ever feel that way?"

"You have no idea."

"But I do." Wade insisted. "I read your articles before. I think I know exactly how you feel. You're sick and tired of people abusing the system to get what they want, instead of what they deserve. You just want justice."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

"So I was thinking that we should do something about it. I'm in contact with Kim, and I'm helping her find crimes to stop. But she's not the only one who can do something about all this crap in our city. I was hoping that you could help me. As a journalist, you probably have a wide network of contacts, don't you?"

Begrudgingly, Betty agreed. "I do, but what's that got to do with anything?"

"Do you know of anybody like us? Who's ready for change?"

"Maybe."

Wade fed her a url to a website he promised would be up and running soon. He told her that citizens would be able to send requests for help through it, and that he would route requests to any heroes in the area willing to take on the challenge. Her job, he explained, was to get in contact with any interested parties – be a hero willing to help, or a pedestrian who might need that help. Although she wasn't sure if she trusted him, she couldn't deny her desire for global justice.

"I'll do it."

"I'll call again in a few days to see how you're doing." He promised. "You won't regret this. I promise."

Betty just hoped those weren't famous last words.

|x|x|x|

Once she was alone, Kim settled herself into a deep horse stance, with her feet shoulder width apart and her fists balanced at her hips. Since her disagreement with Shego, Kim felt obligated to at least try out mastering martial arts. It sounded a little bit ridiculous, but she knew she had to start somewhere. She punched the space in front of her with a soft _whuff_ of effort.

With each punch she tried to let go of a piece of her frustration. She concentrated on how hurt she was that her family had betrayed her, even if for justifiable reasons. She concentrated on how much she missed being a normal girl in college. She concentrated on how angry she was that Ron's life had been thrown into chaos with hers. As her body finally began to sweat, she was able to concentrate on how her life had turned around, as well.

Unbeknownst to her, Ron had settled down against a wall. He wasn't hiding, exactly, but neither did he particularly want his presence to be noticed. Even though his life was nearly as tumultuous as Kim's he found it more difficult to find fault with the situation. He sometimes thought that's why he was Kim's best friend – she was prone to panic and mild bouts of melodrama, whereas he took the blows as they came and rolled with them. It helped, he admitted silently, that Rufus had been brought along for the ride. He wondered if Kim thought of him as her Rufus. It was a slightly disturbing concept, one that he threw away almost immediately.

Though he'd never say it to Kim, he thought Shego was right, which was probably enough to get Kim nice and testy with him. Just the thought of Kim being temperamental was enough to make Ron scrunch closer to the floor. He glanced up at Kim swinging through a rough round house kick and shook his head. Kim had none of the grace of Shego, but exuded a confidence that almost made up for it.

The front door slammed open and made him skitter to his feet. Unflappable, Kim pivoted on her foot and stared at Shego's approaching form.

"Can somebody help me here?" Shego demanded from behind a stack of grocery bags.

Ron galumphed quickly to her side and snagged several bags. She set the rest on the kitchen counter. Kim slowly followed, rooting around the bag for sweets. Shego slapped her hand as Kim reached for a pack of Oreos.

"You haven't even had dinner yet, Princess Piglet."

Kim cradled her hand like Shego had actually done some sort of damage. "One Oreo isn't going to ruin anything. You're not my mother."

"But I did buy the groceries. Until you contribute to the grocery fund, you have no say on what you can and cannot eat, and when you can and cannot eat it."

Ron chuckled. "The day that Kim restrains her sweet tooth is the day that I will sell Rufus and move to Mars."

Kim flushed at their teasing and turned away. Part of her was frustrated at her sharp temper. She wanted to recapture the nicer characteristics of who she used to be. She liked that she had grown more forceful, more independent, but she missed the sweetness that she used to exhibit, the willingness to smile. With this in mind, she brought a smile to her face and turned back around.

"I guess I can wait. Can I help with anything?"

"Ron's in charge." Shego waved her hand at the blonde boy, feigning disinterest. "But if he makes something disgusting again, I will murder him."

"You have such a plain palate." Ron chided, much like a squirrel who had been harassed by a loud dog. "I'm just trying to widen your experience."

"I'd rather not puke." Shego quipped back.

"Neither would I, Ron." Kim piped in.

If Shego registered any shock at Kim's joining-in on their teasing, she let none shown on her face. She merely goaded Ron a little more and then went about her business. She went to the bathroom and cleaned the makeup off her face and changed into more comfortable clothing. Meanwhile, Kim leaned against the counter while Ron puttered around the kitchen. About the time he fired up the range, she spoke.

"How are you still so cheerful?"

"It's an art form." Ron gestured magnificently with a spatula.

"I'm being serious."

"I guess it's just the way I am." He ruffled his own hair and grinned. "It's hard to be depressed when we're both still alive and there's hope."

"Hope." Kim snorted. "Hope that we can exchange one bad situation for another?"

Ron slapped the top her hand with his spatula. "That's not the sort of attitude I'm used to with you, K.P. It's really not cool."

"I'm sorry I'm not doing as well with this as you are."

A look of dark determination settled in behind his eyes. "Kim, listen to me. Maybe you don't get it yet, but we don't like listening to you whine. The Kim I used to know would have taken any opportunity to help people and ran with it. She would have taken this curveball and slung it back at the pitcher."

He grew confused at his own metaphor and petered off for a moment. Before he could continue, and perhaps confuse himself further, Kim cut in.

"Is that really how you see it? That I'm complaining?"

"Kind of. It's been, what, a month or two now? First few days – fine, I get it. Your life is upside down. But all you're doing now is wallowing. Super uncool."

"He's right." Shego reentered the kitchen and fought the urge to wash her mouth out with soap. She had agreed with the buffoon. The world was quite possibly ending. "So just buck up and move on already."

Kim stiffened. "I'm trying."

"Well try harder."

"You can do anything." Ron reminded her. "Which does include eating my feast."

He gestured to the quick meal he had whipped up. Shego went over and sniffed it hesitantly.

"It's not… weird. That's… weird."

"Macaroni and Cheese." He stated proudly.

"That's not weird at all." Shego stated again. "Why's it normal?"

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Kim shoved Shego's shoulder. "Just eat it and be grateful it's not Macaroni and Salsa."

"That's a great idea!" Ron hollered – though it wasn't. But it seemed like a good way to distract Kim from the larger issues at hand. His diversion worked, and Kim spent the rest of the meal trying to talk Ron out of his creations.

|x|x|x|

"Drop that gun!" Kim leapt down from the hood of a car and bounded down the street after an armed robber who didn't seem keen on following her order. She increased her speed and lunged onto the man's back.

He twisted around with the gun pointed at her abdomen. Panic flooded her system. It wasn't the first time a gun had been pointed at her, but it was the first time she felt like there was danger to her person. She rolled to the side a moment before the man pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed her side but caused no real damage. Panting and exhilarated, Kim drew her fist back.

A blast of energy buffeted her body and she flew backwards. The thief on the ground jumped to his feet and ran the remaining twenty feet to his getaway vehicle – a white van that was hovering just off the ground. The side door was open and the mouth of an oversized gun pointed out at her. Whatever the energy was, it did nothing more than knock the air out of her lungs. She lumbered back to her feet and charged after them.

The van rumbled and began to gain altitude. Kim tensed her legs and sprang through the air. Her fingers found purchase on the van's door handle and she clung there for a moment until she felt more secure and then slung her legs up at the gun. Once inside the van, she knocked the guns out of the thief's hands, and then proceeded to knock him out with a gentle tap of her fist on his temples. The van's navigator screeched and whipped a pistol at her face. The gun fired.

Kim lost her balance as the man hit the steering wheel during the mild recoil. The bullet missed her entirely and tore through the roof of the van. Kim regained her balance and threw herself on the driver. With his gun crushed against his own abdomen, he was more willing to meet her demands. With no one minding its direction, the van nose dived down to the pavement, some fifteen feet below.

Dragging her human cargo behind her, Kim emerged from the wrecked van. She handed the villains off to the proper authorities, smiled for some photographs, and then headed off. A small camera inside the van flickered twice and then shut down.

On the other end of the camera, Drakken sat with a few henchmen around him. He tapped his fingers against the desk in front of him and crossed and uncrossed his ankles as he thought.

"Gentleman!" At Drakken's shout, the henchmen sat upright and tried to look official. One even threw a salute. "I think I have it. I have a way to bring Kim Possible down. I, with my unmatched intelligence and pen chance for violent resolutions, have deduced the seemingly only way to cripple a titan."

"What's that, boss?"

"If you can't stand the heat, get into the freezer." Before anyone could wonder what that was supposed to mean, Drakken jumped to his feet. He strode from the room, cackling madly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Cheers.


	9. Chapter 9

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Apologies: **My friends made a liar out of me by dropping by unannounced. Bad way to start off again, I know. I know.

* * *

><p>Chapter Nine<br>In Which a Hero Meets Her Match

Kim lounged on the couch, enjoying one of the rare quiet moments in her life. Shego's junky television set blared a mindless cartoon and Kim giggled as the lead character slipped on a banana peel. She slipped an arm up under her head for a more comfortable viewing angle.

"You still watching that trash?"

Shego pushed the front door open. Ron was right on her heels as she entered. Kim watched Ron wipe the makeup off his face – it had taken some cajoling to get him to learn how to apply it himself, but he had to agree that it was more practical that way. He still complained every once in a while though, and Shego always upbraided him for it.

"What's it like out there?" Kim scratched behind one of her ears but barely moved otherwise.

"Raining and cold." Shego slipped her raincoat off and hung it off the back of the front door. "Things are quiet. I have a package for you from Betty."

Kim sat up expectantly. "Yeah?"

A small object flew from Shego's hand to Kim's lap. Kim picked it up and inspected it – a bundle of miniature photographs spilled onto her legs. They detailed a series of long and large boxes being carried into a warehouse.

"She said these were taken outside of Drakken's headquarters. Something's going on."

"Any idea what?"

Ron tousled his hair back into its usual state of disarray. "The boxes are unmarked, but Wade's contact inside said that Drakken's building a new machine. The plans look new, though. Nothing he's seen before."

Kim slouched back down. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see, then."

Shego stalked to her bedroom and disappeared for a moment. When she reappeared, she was in dry clothing. She erected a small drying stand in the living room and threw her wet belongings on it. Ron added his as he changed. Through all of this, Kim remained on the couch, fighting yawns.

Pushing Kim's legs aside, Shego plopped down on an open cushion. Before Kim could complain, Shego tapped the television with her foot and changed the channel. Kim sputtered and folded her arms across her body.

"You know the news isn't going to tell us anything useful."

Shego sniffed. "Just because the news doesn't necessarily deal with you and Drakken, it doesn't mean it's useless. Things do happen in other places in the world."

"Oh so worldly." Kim sniffed back. Her ability to mimic the testy villain had grown by leaps and bounds in the months of their friendship. "I guess I don't mind missing the last half of Tom and Jerry."

"I mind!" Ron hollered, tripping on his pants in his excitement. He picked himself back up. "Please, Shego, let us watch it."

"Please." Kim slipped a pout onto her face and thrust her lower lip out. Her lip trembled with carefully calculated sorrow.

"Bah." Shego hit the television again to change the channel back. "You two are far too comfortable with me now. That needs to change."

As Kim's smile widened, Shego concentrated on the show and not the tightening in her stomach. She viewed her growing affection as a problem that required immediate attention, yet she found herself unable to force it down under her heel.

"Sweet."

Ron flung his body down across their laps. Shego and Kim both shoved him in unison and he toppled to the floor. While the two women cackled, he rubbed his rump with a silly scowl. Outside, the rain continued to fall and the city remained at relative peace.

|x|x|x|

"Is it finished yet?" Drakken slammed his fist down against his desk. "You imbeciles promised me its completion within the week!"

His latest lead henchman bowed his head obediently. "The drones have been inefficient, Doctor. I threatened them with punishment and their work has picked back up. I think it will be completed soon."

Drakken felt his face coloring a deep purple. "If they do not finish it, then I will have to attend to this myself. It's clear that only one with my intellect will be able to do the job right."

"Yes, sir."

"You may go, Leon." Drakken muttered. "But make sure the device is prepared before my strike tomorrow. There is no room for mistakes."

As Leon bowed again and left, Drakken swiveled in his chair. He rested his elbows on the armrests, and his face in his hands. His plan was foolproof, or so he hoped. But without the device, it was a fruitless battle to fight. He needed it completed, regardless of testing or safety. If it exploded, he could easily blame the redheaded rabble-rouser. He'd done it before.

In the hallway, Leon saluted the guards posted outside of Drakken's door. He saw them as a sign of weakness, but his own cowardice kept him from saying so out loud. In the time before the rise of Kim Possible, Drakken had kept very little security around. There were of course people by the door to keep all but the personally invited outside, but never had Leon seen this level of paranoia. It was clear to him that Drakken could feel his grip on the city loosening.

"How's the boss?" A lower level drone saluted as he walked by. He paused a moment and saluted back.

"He's fine." Leon commented, resting his hand over his nametag. "He's nervous."

The drone stiffened. "I'd be nervous, too, with that upstart making trouble and smearing my good name. What if people actually believe her lies?"

Leon bit his tongue. The longer people were in service to Drakken, the more disillusioned they became. The man in front of him was clearly a newer recruit. Drakken had a way of polarizing people. Upon meeting Drakken, people were either enraptured or disgusted. Most people in Drakken's building had started life enraptured, but Leon could no longer say he wasn't disgusted. But once a member of Drakken's force, always a member. Leon couldn't remember one person leaving.

"People will see the truth." He finally responded. "Or so we can hope."

They saluted each other once more and Leon continued down to the room where the project was being assembled. Unlike the drone outside Drakken's office, these people were his friends. They waved at his entrance.

"Dude." A man covered in oil and grease popped his head out of the machine. "How'd it go?"

"I lied a little." Leon leaned against the wall. A fake video camera bleeped in the corner – it fooled almost no one. "I told him that I threatened to punish you. It should buy us some more time. Do you guys know what it is yet?"

The oil covered man wiped his face on his shirt, covering the cursive embroidery that read _Manny_ with grime. "The plans don't seem to make sense."

Leon almost laughed. "That sounds like most of the stuff that comes from Drakken."

Manny shrugged his shoulders. "The pieces look like some of the prototypes that he was working on a few years ago, and the main mechanism looks like the main mechanism from the freeze blaster he had us build a few months ago, but that could mean anything. The machine from way back when was supposed to be a weather machine. A lot of good that would have done a hero."

At the word hero, the room erupted into laughter. Victor and Hugo joined them by the door.

"My bet is that it's an update on that weather machine." Hugo commented. "Making it smaller and more compact, so that it'll be portable. Maybe it means that he can't use it on a global scale, but he'd be able to, say, create a thunderstorm in one area, or create a breeze."

"Why would he do that?" Victor snapped. Of the four of them, Leon had the feeling that Victor would be the first to abandon Drakken's mad scheming. Leon hoped that Victor could wait – Wade had promised that Drakken would go down soon and that he and his men would be untouched. There was no saying, however, what Drakken might do to a deserter.

"What if instead of lessening the power of that device, he's just amping up the freezing one?" Hugo tried again.

"What's the point for that, anyway? The ray almost killed that kid at its old power. Amp it up and..." Manny sighed. "I don't think we're mad enough to understand what Drakken's after."

The door slammed open. All four men snapped to attention.

"Men!" Drakken screeched. "Is this why my machine remains incomplete. You stand like womenfolk and natter behind my back."

Leon saluted briskly. "No sir. I was merely passing your orders down to expedite the machine's completion. Sir!"

Drakken peered at him, narrowing his already tiny black eyes. "I see. Well you are dismissed. Go deliver orders elsewhere. I will remain here and see to the completion of this. If it is not done within my expectations, my hand will be forced."

None of the men waited around to hear the threat. They resumed their work, this time seriously. With Drakken's eyes drilling into their backs, they made sure to work quickly and quietly. Though none of them wanted the device finished, they were backed into a corner.

|x|x|x|

"I'll see you guys later!" Ron called. He slammed the door behind him, not out of anger but excitement. Although most of the connections to his old life had been severed, he'd run into an old girlfriend while grocery shopping – someone he could trust. She'd been pleased to realize that the man behind the disguise was Ron, and they'd made plans to catch up.

Kim watched the door shut and sighed happily. "I'm glad he gets to have at least some part of his life back."

In the kitchen, Shego snorted. She'd never admit that she was jealous, but there the envy was, pressing against her stomach. "Whatever. She'll probably just report on us back to Drakken and get us all killed."

"Yori's not like that." Kim insisted. "She's very big on honor."

Shego's eyebrows twitched. "Honor says that she can go out with a shady character like the media makes Ron look?"

"She knows Ron better than that. They did date for almost a year."

"So what happened?" Shego heard herself ask the question and nearly groaned. She truly didn't care.

"Her family moved back to Japan. Ron was really crushed by it, but they decided they couldn't do a transcontinental relationship." Kim crossed her arms. "I'm glad she's back. He needs some normalcy."

Shego pressed the start button on the microwave. The bag of popcorn began to circle jerkily around and inflate. Kim entered the kitchen and eyed Shego's tense posture.

"Have you ever run into someone from your past?"

"Nobody to run into." Shego spat.

"Nobody, huh? So you were a loner before, after, and always?"

"I never said I was a loner, I said there's nobody to run into."

Kim puzzled over that. "So you knew people, but…?"

"But nothing." Shego retrieved the bag of popcorn and left Kim standing there with a look of confusion on her face. "Are you coming?"

Kim bounded after her. "Yeah, yeah. So you're sure this movie is worth it?"

Shego settled in on the couch. "I can't believe you've never seen The Cat in the Hat."

"I was too old for it when it was in theaters, and then I never thought about it." Kim defended herself as she sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Well, here's your chance. Complete with commercial interruptions."

Kim found herself regretting her desire to hang out with the surly woman. When Ron had made his date, Kim had sought alternative plans for her evening. Unfortunately, her emotions had decided that Shego would make a suitable friend for the night. But Shego had demanded they watch the television-cut version of a stupid movie and Kim couldn't refuse.

"Shego…" Kim couldn't help but let a whine enter her voice. "When I asked if you wanted to hang out with me tonight, I thought we'd be doing something more… I don't know. Together."

"We're in the same room doing the same thing. That's not together?" Shego riposted.

The best way to avoid unnecessary feeling, she decided, was to begin erecting a wall between herself and Kim. After all, as soon as Kim was out of trouble, the redhead would move on to bigger and better things – things that didn't include a grouchy villain.

"I want to know you."

"And I want to watch this movie."

"You've told me already that you've seen it sixteen times."

"Maybe I was lying." Shego bit into a handful of popcorn. "I do that you know."

"Why do you keep blowing me off?"

"Shh." Shego pointed to the screen. "Can't you see it's starting?"

Kim sat, fuming, and tucked her legs up under her chin. She barely watched the movie; it felt like acid was creeping through her veins. As the first commercial break hit, she remained still even as Shego got up and went to the kitchen. Upon Shego's return, she turned her icy glare upon the villain.

"What now?" Shego grimaced. "Did I grow a third head? A third evil head?"

Kim didn't respond. Shego knew what she had done, and Kim wasn't going to make it easy. Ignoring her, Shego resettled on the couch. The tension in the room, she noted, was thick and made it hard to breath, but she wasn't going to take the bait. The movie resumed. Kim got up and padded down the hallway.

"Wait a second." Shego felt like she was choking broken glass out instead of words. "I'm, y'know, sorry or whatever."

Kim came back with her communicator in her hands. "I'm getting a call from Wade. Did you need to say something?"

Shego bit down a curse and shook her head. "No. Do what you gotta."

"You're sure?" Kim asked, her thumb hovering over the call-accept button. Her voice was light with hope. "Absolutely nothing you want to tell me. Not even how you're feeling today?"

Had Shego been honest with Kim and herself, she would have had a better answer than, "Shut up."

Kim accepted the call, her eyes large and woefully trained on Shego. Shego threw a pillow over her face and tried to concentrate on the movie.

"What's the sitch, Wade?"

"Drakken's on the move. He's been spotted in a large, white van moving south on Kensington. The nearest cross street is Whimsy." Wade reported. "My contact reports that he's got his latest weapon inside. We have a lot of guesses as to what it is, but no actual proof. Apparently Drakken refused to test it."

"I'm on it." Kim glanced at Shego and shook her head slowly. Perhaps there was truly nothing more to the villain than what she was seeing. "I'll be there in five minutes."

|x|x|x|

"Kim Possible!" Drakken hollered as the teen crashed to the ground in front of his van. "I was waiting for you."

Kim swept the hair out of her face. "I'd prefer if you called me by my superhero name."

"Cold Steel is a terrible name," Drakken commented, "and we all know you're not a hero. You're a villain! Out to destroy my name and wreak havoc on the city."

"How long do you think people will keep believing that?"

"Longer than you're going to be around."

Kim was ready for the swarm of henchmen that lunged at her from all angles. She threw punches and elbows and kicks at any skin that came near enough for her to land a hit upon. More often than not one of the men was able to slam a fist into her side or her face, but she never felt the blows. She swept the feet out from under one man and punched another in the nose – she felt his nose shatter under her fist on impact and was immediately sorry that she'd used so much force.

"Drakken, call them off! This is between you and me. This ends today." She yelled above the brawl. The henchmen had backed away from her after getting clobbered, many with broken bones and oozing scrapes. "I don't want to hurt them."

Drakken grinned at her and disappeared from the driver's seat of the van. The side door slid open. "Come and get me."

Kim eyed the vehicle warily. The last time she'd fought something in a van, it had ended pretty disastrously. She had been unhurt, but she'd done a lot of property damage. That was something she wanted to avoid.

"Come out here and face me like a man."

"Can't make me." Drakken goaded her. "Get 'er men!"

The henchmen hesitantly swung at her. She brushed them off. Angry at his lack of caring for the wellbeing of his lackeys, Kim charged the van. Drakken jabbed his gloved thumb against the firing mechanism. A blob of material rocketed at Kim's head.

Left with two options – dodge and let the blob hit public property, or take the blow herself, Kim kept moving forward. She'd learned from Shego that energy attacks had the same force as a punch or a kick, but did very little to slow her down. She braced herself and took the blast. A seeping coldness spilled over her.

Sluggishly, she continued moving forward. Once inside the van, fighting a deep seeded chill in her bones, she threw a punch at Drakken's face. He moved out of the way and kicked the back of her knees. She fell to the ground and tried to shake the trembling out of her limbs. If she could just land a solid blow, he'd be done for, she thought. It didn't matter how many times he hit her, he'd never do any damage.

Stumbling back to her feet, she punched at what she thought was her top power. Drakken felt the light tap on his cheek and grabbed her wrist. As she fought to protest, he slid a syringe into her arm. As her heavy heart pounded, her veins took the foreign substance throughout her body. Though her mind could slowly think, her body remained frozen in mid-punch.

Drakken patted her unmoving flesh and beamed.

"That's a good girl."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: As a side note, I truly love the Cat in the Hat.


	10. Chapter 10

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Note: **This is early. Surprising, no?

* * *

><p>Chapter Ten<br>In Which a Hero is Seen as a Villain

"How could you let this happen?" Ron thrust his fist against the wall of Shego's apartment.

Shego stood a few feet away, bristling. "You think this was my fault?"

"You were supposed to watch her back!"

"I think that's the job of a good sidekick." She snapped back. "And where were you, huh? Getting your dink wet?"

"Shut up!" Ron's face turned a bright purple color. "This wasn't my fault!"

"And it wasn't mine either. So you can either lay off and work with me, or you can keep hollering at me. Choice is yours, kid."

He ducked his head. "Do you know where he's keeping her?"

"No, but I'm sure we can find out."

Ron eyed her warily for a moment longer before joining her on the couch. The television provided them with images of the battle, from Kim's fierce onslaught right up until Drakken stopped her.

"The thing that gets me," Ron watched the clip run for the fifth time. "is how he got a needle to pierce her skin. The doctors couldn't manage when she was in the hospital. They couldn't do it, so why can Drakken?"

"Maybe he didn't." Shego mused. "Do you remember much about the doctors? Could they do anything with an I.V. or hypodermic?"

"They could barely break her skin. They couldn't get the I.V. to work at all, though. They thought she was going to die for a while." Ron leaned closer to her face. "What are you thinking?"

"That maybe he froze her, but it's not permanent. He only got the bare minimum injected into her, by my logic."

Ron's face brightened. "Like in Hercules! Pain and Panic only fed baby Hercules most of the bottle to make him human – but not the last drop."

Shego allowed a momentary look of confusion to cascade across her features. "Sure. Whatever."

"Don't you watch Disney movies? Weren't you ever a child?"

"No."

"You're no fun."

"I'm glad you can think about fun." Shego flicked Ron's ear. "Concentrate."

"So what's your plan?"

"We break into Drakken's complex, find where he's keeping her, and break her out."

"Sounds simple enough. Then what?"

She blew a raspberry into the air. "You want more? That's not enough. We start there. If we can get her out, we'll take it from there."

"I like your positive thinking." Ron stretched his arms over his head and twisted to crack his vertebrae. "What are you waiting for? Call Betty, or Wade, or whoever. Get this started."

Although Shego wanted desperately to smack him for his nonchalance, she resisted the urge. Hitting the blonde doofus would solve no problems. Instead she pulled out her communicator and contacted Wade.

|x|x|x|

In the basement of his headquarters, Drakken paced from corner to corner and occasionally paused to drag his fingers down Kim Possible's frozen arm. A wicked grin disfigured his face at these moments. The henchmen around him avoided eye contact.

"I've done it!" Drakken hissed. "I've won! She can't drag me down any further."

"Sir?" Leon approached and saluted.

"What do you want?"

"The press is clamoring outside. They want a statement. You need to attend to them."

Drakken looked at Kim steadily. He half-believed that the moment he took his eyes off of her, she would disappear. There was a ephemeral feeling in the air that bothered him. He scratched the back of his neck.

"I suppose you're right." He straightened. "This is the perfect moment to tell the story the way it should be told. With none of the Possible girl's vicious lies."

Leon saluted again as Drakken marched past. Most of the henchmen marched with him, but Leon remained. Once he was alone, he walked to Kim's side and slid his fingers along Kim's wrist. Her pulse was there, shallow and steady. He reached up to rub his ear, covertly moving his mouth into position near a small communication device on his wrist.

"She's alive."

"And well?"

He winced at the biting tone that sliced through his earpiece. "I don't know. She's still frozen?"

"And Drakken is occupied?"

"There're ten different news stations outside." Leon reported, keeping his voice low. "He should be answering questions for a while."

"Betty's people should be out there causing trouble, too." Shego responded thoughtfully. "That should buy us half an hour or so."

"What are your coordinates?"

"Uh… The rooftop."

"There should be a door nearby. Enter that and descend. Keep to the shadows. She's in the basement. Wade should have already forwarded you're a map. If you have problems, I'm here."

Shego took the walkie talkie away from her mouth and motioned for Ron to follow her. They darted in the door Leon mentioned. The top two floors were mostly empty, which gave them a chance to rifle quickly through Drakken's office. Though time was limited, Betty had asked them that one small favor – if they could find any evidence of his dirty dealings, she would appreciate it.

Ron tucked something into one of the pockets in his cargo pants. He waved Shego onward. Whatever he'd found, Shego trusted it was good enough for them to move on. The further towards ground level they traveled, the more people they almost ran into. Ron had none of her grace, Shego discovered, and she often had to pull him out of the way to avoid being discovered.

"Will you be careful?" She whispered to him after a third such close encounter. "Just try it, for me?"

Ron scowled at her. Without Kim as a buffer between them, tempers had worn thin. "I'm doing my best, you damn green harpy."

"Sh." She slammed her hand over his mouth as two men slouched past them. Neither individuals sensed anything out of the ordinary. Shaking her head, Shego dragged Ron to the set of stairs leading to the basement.

Leon was waiting there and ushered them down. Ron sputtered at the sight of Kim motionless but ever punching. As Ron ran clumsily to Kim, Shego haunted the edges of the room. She trusted Leon to a certain extent, but nothing could overcome her natural wariness of other people.

"You took long enough getting down here." Leon muttered to her.

She shrugged at him. "We did have other business to attend to."

"You're cutting it close." Leon pointed to a television screen mounted to a far wall. "Channel 8 has already stopped asking questions. You have to get out of here now. The moment he knows she's gone, the building will go on lockdown."

"We'll never get her up to the roof."

Leon stared blankly at her. "You say that like you don't care."

"We came in the roof, but I never planned on leaving that way."

Ron waved them over. "We can't reposition her, Shego. What are we going to do?"

Shego groaned. "There goes that plan, I guess. But we still have to try."

"You two do what you have to. I'll go stall Drakken."

"Try to get him up to his office or something. Away from the front door."

Leon saluted her, wondering if he would ever be able to break that habit. After working for Drakken it was just natural to salute anyone in power, but he couldn't say that he liked doing it.

|x|x|x|

"Enough questions." Drakken yelled at the mob of reporters before him. Things had not gone as planned. There were too many allegations that he had dealt with the situation inappropriately. Too many questions about heroes of the past that had met questionable ends. "I'm not answering anymore. Send your complaints to my P.R. department. I don't have to deal with you people."

Spinning on his heel, Drakken stalked back into his building. Immediately, Leon was at his side waving a paper in his face.

"Sir, you're going to want to take care of this."

"What's this?" Drakken snatched the page and held it close to his face, as if he were going blind. Nothing of the sort was occurring, but Leon understood that his boss needed the dramatic elements in his life.

"It's what several of the news casters out there are publishing as a release."

"What's it even say?"

Leon bit his tongue – Drakken held the paper and could obviously read it himself. Sighing deeply, Leon began guiding Drakken away from the basement stairs and up to Drakken's office.

"They're worried that you're corrupt."

"Ridiculous." Nonetheless Drakken's eyebrows squinched together like two furry caterpillars attacking the same leaf. His lips pursed. "I thought this would all be put to rest with my defeat of that villain."

"People will talk."

"So they will." Drakken finally tugged away from Leon. "Well. There's nothing to be done today. If you need me, I'll be downstairs."

"Sir! If you let this go, then you may lose your opportunity to fix this in your favor!" Leon darted in front of Drakken. Drakken's eyebrows intensified.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking out for your best interest. The Possible girl is frozen, correct? She will be there long after you get your own perspective out there."

"Get out of my way." Drakken shoved Leon to the side. "Hold him."

Two waiting henchmen grabbed Leon's arms. When Drakken was out of sight, Leon twisted to look at Victor and Hugo. He nodded slowly and all three men fled the building. Whatever was set to happen that day had been put in motion. There was no point in sticking around to suffer the aftermath.

Several floors below, Drakken shoved men out of the way. His temper was bubbling just below the surface. It was obvious to him that something was definitely occurring behind his back, and he was going to get to the bottom of it. He burst into the basement, spotted the lack of Kim Possible, and began screeching like a wounded crow. Anything that wasn't bolted to the ground was thrown and broken.

"Darn you Kim Possible!" He shook his fist at the ceiling. His rage only increased when he viewed the security tapes later and discovered Leon's betrayal. This quadrupled after he realized that Leon had already fled. Someone would need to be held responsible for this.

|x|x|x|

Kim was propped near the front door, draped with blankets. They had carried her frozen body across town, but not even the heat of the summer day, nor the heat of the blankets, had even cracked the layer of frost in Kim's veins.

"Well this is great…" Ron tried to fight the listless tone growing in his voice. "What next?"

"I told you, we'd deal with it." Shego insisted. She stared at Kim. "I wonder if she can hear us."

Kim stared back.

Ron let his head fall into his hands. "How are we supposed to fix this?"

"Look, kid, first step is to just take a few deep breaths. At least we have her back, right?"

"Right." His inflection suggested that the opposite was true.

"Go lay down." She pointed towards her bedroom. "Don't come back until you've fixed your attitude."

As Ron sulked down the hall, Shego resisted mimicking his pessimism. _It's a cold day in Hell when I'm telling someone else to fix his attitude_, Shego thought. Heating her hands as hot as they would go, Shego placed her fingertips on Kim's shoulders.

"Come on, Kim. You can wake up. You can do it. You can do anything."

From inside the prison of her body, Kim fought to move. She had wanted to cheer when her friends had rescued her, to scream when she had first awoken in that blasted basement. But she couldn't move her eyelids let alone emit noises.

When nothing happened, Shego removed her hands and let her body cool down. "We'll find a way to help you," she promised, "and I won't let him get away with this."

_Good_, Kim wanted to reply.

"It looks like you got your ass handed to you." Shego plopped down onto the couch. "If you weren't already out of commission, I'd beat your ass."

_As if you could._

"A lot of good that would do." The communicator in her pocket vibrated. Shego pulled it out. "Shego."

"Shit is hitting the fan." Betty announced grandly. "Those documents you grabbed, they're perfect. I've already leaked most of them."

"Ron never actually told me what they were."

"Receipts and pictures. Drakken sunk his own ship on this – he actually kept a record of the crimes he committed and then resolved."

"I didn't think even he could be so dumb." Shego glanced at Kim once again.

"The police are going to make the arrest tomorrow. It's still on the down low right now, but I have connections."

"That's great. You think he'd be willing to talk about whatever he put into Kim was?"

"Probably not. He's probably taking that to the grave." Betty sighed. "He probably views this as his last great achievement – why would he undo it?"

"We can't just let her rot like this?"

_Rot?_ Kim panicked. _I'm not ready to rot yet_.

"She's no better?"

"No. Not moving, not speaking. Just… ice-like."

"Keep hoping. Keep talking to her."

Shego hung up on Betty and moved back to Kim's side. "You can't just give up. You were just getting to make a difference."

_I know! And I was enjoying it._

"I won't give up if you won't." Shego rubbed Kim's arm.

_I'm not giving up._ Kim thought and struggled against her body.

|x|x|x|

"This is an outrage!" Drakken screamed as police officers secured his arms behind his back. "I demand proper treatment."

"This is proper treatment." The nearest cop chuckled. His burly frame overshadowed Drakken's ratty stature considerably. His nametag glittered in the sun – Barkin. "Proper treatment for scumbags."

"I am no such thing! You merely do not understand my genius!"

"I've heard that before." Barkin shoved Drakken roughly into his cruiser. "Doesn't change that you're a criminal."

"You read him his rights?"

Barkin slapped his forehead at his partner's comment. "I'm not fresh out of the academy."

"So you didn't?"

"You have the right to remain silent – anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to a lawyer. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you." He droned.

Drakken fought the cuffs chafing his wrists, but settled against the car's rough leather seats. "I'll be out of here faster than you can save your sorry jobs."

"Sure you will." Barkin turned his sirens on and swerved into traffic.

"I'm the only one keeping this city safe."

"The way I hear it, you're the one keeping this city in danger."

"Don't believe those lies!"

"It's not me you'll have to convince." Barkin barked. "So shut up."

Drakken seethed quietly until they reached the station. He walked quietly to the building, stepped quietly inside, and quietly refused any comment when questioned. Before they could book him, Drakken pressed a discrete button on his watch.

Somewhere in the city, a clock began to count down.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Only a few more chapters to go. This is early because tomorrow I plan to be drunk.


	11. Chapter 11

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Note: **This chapter is a little shorter than others, but I'll make up for it next week.

* * *

><p>Chapter Eleven<br>In Which a Hero Starts to Thaw

Ron clutched the phone to his ear. "She's just standing there. I think she's gone off the deep end."

Betty sighed. "Just standing there?"

"Yeah. Like, creepy staring."

He stared from the hallway into the living room, where Shego was standing stoically in front of Kim. Once in a while she'd lift her hands and rub Kim's shoulders, but soon after she'd resume her previous posture. He shook his head – it seemed a fruitless effort.

"If she thinks it's helping, let her do it. We have bigger things to talk about."

"What's bigger than Shego having a meltdown?"

"As soon as Drakken was put away, I sent out messages to those old heroes that I knew the whereabouts of. They should be returning to the city any time now."

Ron scratched his head. "What does that have to do with me?"

"With Kim out of commission," _indefinitely_, Ron thought bitterly, "we need someone as sort of an ambassador. I'm sure they're going to have questions, concerns."

"Suggestions."

"Sure." Betty responded, though her tone was absentminded. "Bottom line is that you acted as Kim's back up. You know the city. You're our best agent as it were."

"This doesn't feel right. It should be Kim."

"You know as well as I do that it can't be her."

A moment of tense silence passed between them. He shifted his feet anxiously. "What will I have to do?"

"You need to make yourself visible. Go down to the police station and introduce yourself. Make sure they have a way of contacting you. Wade is going to outfit you with weapons – so even though you don't have any powers to speak of, you'll be able to keep up with Kim's schedule."

"So I'll be like Batman."

"Sure."

"Can I be called Naked Rat Mole Man instead?"

Ron was sure he could hear Betty slapping her palm against her forehead. "If you really want that name, I suppose I can't talk you out of it. But I can highly suggest you use something else."

"Mole Man is taken… So is Rat Man… Naked Man?"

"No. Absolutely not, Ronald."

"Fine. Just call me Captain Ron."

"Ever so creative."

"What would you suggest?"

"How do you feel about Unstoppable Man?"

He grimaced. "I guess that's okay."

"See, it's a play on your last name." Betty explained further. "So it's clever."

"Look, I'm not going to do this forever, so whatever name you choose, I can live with. But as soon as Kim is back up and about, I'm retiring."

Betty laughed. "Wasn't that Kim's argument? That she was going to stick around until the real heroes returned?"

"She'll feel differently now, I'm sure." Ron glanced back at Shego, still standing in front of Kim. "She's gotta."

"Can you get downtown? Wade has your supplies in his back room."

Ron muttered his agreement and hung up. As he passed by the two women on his way out, he tossed a greeting at Shego. When he got no answer, he shrugged and left.

Shego regarded the woman in front of her. Though Ron seemed pessimistic about it all, she had noticed something he hadn't. Kim's eyes had shut. _She actually blinked_, Shego thought, though her inner glee didn't translate to her grim face. The freeze on Kim was lessening, and now she had proof. With that in mind, she continued to blast Kim with heat. Maybe it helped, and maybe it didn't, but she couldn't not try.

"Come on, Princess." Shego rubbed harder. "I know you can hear me and I know this is helping. We're going to get you out of there."

#

"What was that device on your wrist?" Barkin slammed his ham-sized fist on the table separating him from Drakken.

Drakken merely smirked back. "I want a lawyer."

Barkin grunted. "We've already sent your request. Your lawyer has been on his way. This is your last chance to talk and ease your way."

"I want a lawyer."

Growling, Barkin stalked to the door, whipping it open. "Is Drakken's lawyer here yet?"

A man in a dirty suit slouched towards him. "Hey, you that dude holding my cuz?"

Barkin cleared his throat. "Are you his lawyer?"

"Seriously!" He held out his hand. "Name's Ed."

"Seriously?" Barkin murmured to himself. Things might be easier than he anticipated.

"Cuz, what you do this time?" Ed plopped down into the chair next to Drakken, with his hand raised. Drakken winced but lifted his own hand as far as the handcuffs would allow and gave his cousin a high five.

"Nothing." Drakken eyed Barkin warily.

"Dude, seriously, privacy?"

Barkin fought the urge to spit at them and walked out of the room.

"What's goin' down?"

"They found the files." Drakken whispered. Although he tried to maintain a cool demeanor, the panic was beginning to show in his countenance.

"Dude, I told you not to keep those."

"Nobody was ever going to find them!"

"Until they did. Cuz, you in it now." Ed slung his arm over the back of his chair. "My advice? Don't say shit to them. Legal gold right there."

Drakken nodded. "Nothing at all!"

"Stick to 'I don't know' or 'No comment.'"

"Got it."

Ed hollered that it was alright for Barkin for to return. Upon his entrance, Barkin threw an open file on the table. He slid into his seat.

"Do you recognize these pictures?"

"I don't know."

Barkin narrowed his eyes. "Either you do or you don't."

"No comment."

"These are of you, correct? And you have no comment?"

"I don't know."

Ed leaned over Drakken to look Barkin in the eyes, "Seriously, dude, he don't know."

Barkin pulled out another photo, showing only part of it. "Can you identify this man?"

"That's me!" Drakken smirked – it was truly a great picture. The lighting was just right to make him look very heroic. Ed elbowed him. "But I don't know."

Barkin revealed the rest of the photograph – Drakken standing beside a burning building, a tank of gasoline beside him. Ed twitched and Drakken's jaw stiffened.

"What… what a fine job of Photoshop someone did." He finally managed.

Barkin laughed. "We've had experts examine these. Nobody did anything to alter these images. They're one hundred percent real."

"I must have been looking for an arsonist."

Barkin shook his head. "This building was identified as the Crumple Battered Women Home, which burned three months ago. The fire department was told, by someone, not to investigate and nobody was accused of arson. Any idea who told them not to investigate?"

"No comment."

"The head of the fire department, Clint Pallap, has gone on the record stating that it was, in fact, you." Barkin slid a copy of the signed statement over for Ed and Drakken to examine. "My point being that we have you cold, Drakken. You can't wiggle your way out of this. If you start talking now, we might be able to cut you a deal."

"Oh, I think you'll have other concerns soon enough." Drakken laughed to himself.

"What was that?" Barkin snapped. "Speak up."

"Oh nothing. No comment." Drakken smiled at Ed. Ed smiled back.

A moment later, another cop barreled into the room. He gestured wildly at Barkin. "Can you step outside?"

Barkin glared at his captive, but did as he was bid. The man garbled out a message, then took a breath and tried again.

"There was a bomb. In the central jail. Approximately thirty six inmates escaped. They're trying to contain the damage now, but there's mass confusion."

"Call Betty." Barkin grabbed a card from his wallet and thrust it at the man. "Tell her to get someone on it."

The man snatched the card and made the call.

#

Ron held his stun gun gingerly. He'd only shot it twice, and hit his target but once. The police had taken care of the rest. Part of him was shocked that his presence was enough – the sight of a costumed hero had halted most of the inmates from their fleeing, if just long enough for police officers to round them up and shackle them as quickly as they could.

"Thanks for your assistance… Unstoppable Man…" The cop covered his smile with one hand.

"Yeah, sure." Ron placed the gun into its holster. "Soon enough, though, you'll have more than me."

"Is Cold Steel alright?" The hope in the other man's eyes made Ron cast his eyes away.

"We're working on it. Drakken did a number on her."

The cop spat on the ground. Ron wished he could second that motion, but his mouth was bone dry. When he determined all was well, he sprinted off, pausing in the shadows to catch his breath.

#

"Shego, will you listen to me?" Betty snapped her fingers in front of Shego's face. "I know you're worried – we all are. But you wouldn't answer your phone and so here I am. Will you stop that for one minute?"

Shego dropped her hands and turned her eyes from Kim's face. "One minute, starting now. Talk fast."

"With Drakken behind bars, or soon to be, Kim and Ron are cleared of all charges – and so are the other heroes that had to leave. But you… you're a special case."

"And?" Shego tapped her wrist, indicating that Betty was running out of time.

"You actually committed crimes. We can't just excuse you. But I did work a deal out."

"I'm not interested." Shego returned her hands to Kim's shoulders, her frustration coming out in a blast of heat.

"Listen to m—"

Betty fell abruptly silent as Kim's fingers began to wiggle. Over the course of the next few minutes, Kim's body reanimated from the extremities inward. Kim's arm dropped out of its punch and Shego swooped into keep Kim from dropping to the floor.

"Can we do this later?" Shego demanded, glaring at Betty. "I'm a little too busy for this."

Ron pushed the front door open, exhaustion wearing on his frame. When he spotted Kim on the ground, the fatigue scattered off of him and he lunged onto the dogpile.

"She's okay!"

Shego, for once, didn't feel like hitting him. She ruffled his hair and smirked.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Time constraints can be a beach. I believe there are approximately three chapters left. Give or take.


	12. Chapter 12

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language

**Note: **Have you ever had the experience where people can't seem to get enough of you, even when you're hinting strongly that you have things to do? I bring you Chapter 12, at 1:22 a.m.

* * *

><p>Chapter 12<p>

In Which Some Pieces of the Puzzle Fall Into Place

Kim fought a shiver and snuggled closer to the warmth surrounding her. Somewhere in her consciousness, she knew that she had unfrozen and could move freely, yet she couldn't bring herself to instigate movement.

"Come on, Kim." Ron murmured in her ear. He rubbed her shoulders, pantomiming Shego's previous obsessive action. "Say something?"

"Mfpb." Her tongue tripped over her teeth, so she swallowed a few times and tried to loosen her jaw. "Mwhat?"

"That's a little better." He chided. "But, like, say my name."

She forced her eyes open and waited patiently for them to focus properly. For a moment there was just a blur of pastel colors around her, some of which moved unsteadily. And then, finally, the clarity came. The soft yellow settled into Ron's hair, and the dancing blues his eyes. She waited longer and Shego solidified behind him.

"Ron."

"That's great!" He held her close to his chest until she began to squirm.

"Leggo…" She pulled back far enough to look at his face. "What day?"

"It's Tuesday."

"The twelfth." Shego put in, in case Ron's answer was unsatisfactory. "You've been frozen for around a four days."

Kim blinked slowly and nodded. "I remember fighting Drakken."

"He hit you with some sort of slowing beam, and then managed to inject some serum into you. He's not talking yet about what it is."

"He's still out there?" Alarm entered Kim's voice.

"No, no." While Ron filled Kim in on the details of the past few days, Shego retreated to where Betty hovered in the kitchen.

"So she's better now." Betty mused. "This is very good."

"You can say that again." Shego eyed Betty. "But you'd better not."

"She can step forward with her own story now, and it won't be secondhand."

"Don't you ever stop thinking about your own agenda?"

"Do you?"

Shego's nose wrinkled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, we all want something from Kim right now, and we're all fighting for our own wants to come first."  
>"I don't want anything from her."<p>

"Okay."

"Seriously!" Shego folded her arms across her body defensively.

"Okay." Betty shook her head. "You don't want anything from her."

"Good."

"But as it turns out, she's going to want something from you." Betty watched Kim and Ron interact. The two reminded her of puppies cuddled in a heap. "She knows Drakken's gone and that she's safe. You think she's just going to be happy with you as a villain?"

"She doesn't have a choice."

"You didn't even listen to my offer."

"I'm not interested in going the route of the hero. Especially after everything I've gone through. So you can take your offer and-"

Betty had no interest in hearing what she could do with her offer and so cut Shego off. "You won't be pressured into being a hero."

Shego raised one eyebrow. "Oh? I would think that they only retribution possible for such a heinous individual as myself would be community service."

Betty grimaced at the thick sarcasm. "No, not quite. I've taken this as high up the political food chain as I can. All they want is for you to return all the money you've stolen."

Shego snorted. "Good luck with that. No, I think I'll stay where I'm at."

"It's so simple! You could go outside again!"

"Look, it's not even a matter of me returning anything. There's nothing to return."

"Not even you could have blown through the millions of dollars you've stolen."

Shego gestured to her apartment. "Does it look like I'm living a millionaire's lifestyle?"

Betty stared at the old furniture and the small television. Her gaze traveled to the dingy carpeting and the dim lighting. "I suppose not. So where is it all?"

"Other than the small portion I keep to pay my expenses and keep myself alive, I give it all to charities around the city under a pseudonym." Shego laughed. "You can be the one to go to them and get the dough back. I sure won't do it."

"Shego?" Kim called from the floor. She staggered to her feet, testing out her muscles. She looked briefly like she was about to fall, but steadied herself.

"Yeah?" Without another look at Betty, Shego joined Ron at Kim's side.

"Is what he said true? Can I really go outside?" Kim smiled up at her. "We can go?"

"Why you askin' me?" Shego sneered. The thought of Kim and Ron leaving her had left a sudden gap between her ribs, a gap that was so completely foreign that she was forced to rely upon her basic defenses. "Geeze, Princess, you aren't dumb."

Recoiling, Kim toppled onto her rear end, hitting her wrist on the floor in an attempt to catch herself. "I guess not."

"You want to go? Get gone."

Betty leaned against the front door. "I'm sure they'll want to see their families."

Kim and Ron exchanged looks and followed Betty away. Kim cast a final pained look at Shego that Shego ignored to the best of her ability. She slid the chain on her door to try and recapture control. Current events were spiraling wildly out of control and she hated the powerless feeling pervading her emotions.

|x|x|x|

In a dingy motel room, with the lights off and the curtains closed, three men hunched together. Three matching orange uniforms were balled up in the corner, along with two prone figures – the room's original occupants. The men kept their heads together and their tones low.

"What's next, Crash?" The man with the trimmed red hair peered suspiciously at the door to their room. There was always the chance that someone – like the cleaning service – would come by and their freedom would expire.

Next to him, Crash ran his fingers nervously through his spiked hair. His other hand massaged the contours of his angular face. "First thing is always lay low."

The last man stroked his beard. "Maybe we should get out of the city?"

"No." Crash grunted. "That idea sucks, Dash."

Burn bit his lower lip until a droplet of blood slipped down his chin. "We can't just huddle in this damn room until someone catches up with us."

"They probably won't even notice we're gone for a while. It was madness. They'll get everything back in order in time and then they'll start trying to figure out who's missing." Crash insisted. "We have at least a day, maybe two, to figure it out."

"I spent too long in that shitter of a jail to go back." Burn hissed, his burnt orange eyebrows closing in over his nose. "We could split up."

"Do I need to go over the metaphor again?" Dash and Burn exchanged wary looks and were about to respond negatively when Crash spoke again. "If you take a single thread, you can snap it easily. Wind more together and it's much harder. We're better off together. They'll look for men fitting out description as lone wolves, not as a pack."

"So what next?" Burn reiterated.

"I suppose we find somewhere better to shack up. Any of you still have any contacts? Contacts the police don't already know about?"

All three men racked their brains and frowned. Their brainstorming was interrupted by an abrupt knocking at the door. Crash grabbed the chair he was sitting on and dragged it to the door. Raising it behind him, he slid the door open a crack.

"Who's there?"

A hooded figure peered at him. "Lemme in, and I'll tell you."

Glancing at his buddies, Crash exchanged a pointed look with them. They stood and prepared to take down any threat by crouching low and tensing their muscles. The door opened fully and the figure stepped into the room. When Crash slung his chair, the figure caught the downward swinging weapon with one kick of his foot.

"Gentleman, that is no way to treat help."

Dumbfounded, each man's jaw dropped. Dash managed to speak first. "You're… going to help us?"

"Of course. You wish to cause trouble in the city, correct?"

"Well, maybe not trouble. We just want retribution for the hell we went through." Burn explained, though Dash and Crash shot him dirty looks.

"I've researched you three." The figure explicated. "You used to be heroes. And then Drakken fingered you for crimes you didn't do."

Before Crash could exclaim that Drakken hadn't touched any of them and neither had any person in prison, Dash snorted. "Course we didn't do that shit. But the way we see it, we've done the time, so now let's do the crime."

"I understand. And that is why I want to offer you protection." The figure lowered his hood. "I am Lord Monty Fiske. If you come with me, I can give you a place to stay and funds to begin plotting your revenge."

"Why?" Crash questioned. "What'll we owe you? No such thing as a free lunch, after all."

"Why not?" Fiske responded, idly. He picked at his fingernails. "Because I want this city to burn. I want nothing but the ensuing chaos. Do your jobs well and you'll owe me nothing."

Crash reached out to shake on it and was mildly disgusted when Fiske shook the proffered limb with his foot.

|x|x|x|

"I'm so glad you're home, Kimmie-cub." Mr. Possible hugged his wayward daughter tightly. "And out of costume and out of disguise."

"Hopefully forever out of disguise." Kim demurred quietly.

Mrs. Possible rubbed Kim's head tenderly. "We're glad that things turned out as well as they did in the end."

Kim paused a moment, fighting internally over her feelings about her mother's betrayal. But she smiled faintly. "I can go back to school now."

"Whoa, there." Mr. Possible groaned. "Loosen up the old grip."

Kim winced and let go. "I keep forgetting. Something about being frozen again really slowed my mental recall."

"You'll get better." Her mom laid the back of her hand on Kim's forehead. The skin was nearly icy to the touch. "You had to heal the first time, too, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Well there you go."

Kim stepped beyond her parents into her childhood home and smiled. The very scent of the place was enough to set her at ease – a unique odor of vinegar and laundry detergent. A crash resounded from the kitchen, followed by two twin screeches.

It was indeed nice to be home. Kim greeted her flour covered brothers with a wry grin. In an attempt to make her a welcome back cake, they had instead succeeded only in making a mess. Mrs. Possible set about cleaning up, while Mr. Possible finished the nearly demolished cake batter.

"Is Ronald alright, then?" Mr. Possible asked.

"Yes." Kim affirmed. "He's probably the unluckiest guy I know. He was just guilty of knowing me."

"Well, now everything's normal for him again. He's not some sort of super villain and no villains parading as heroes are coming after him, right?" Mrs. Possible swatted at the twins who darted past her with clean faces.

"Dude! So not as cool."

Jim slapped Tim's waiting high five. "Epically not as cool."

"Are you going to still be a hero?"

"Because, seriously, that would be awesome. Even if you can't fly."

Kim made a face at them by scrunching her features and sticking her tongue out. "Maybe, maybe not."

The rest of the evening was exactly what Kim hoped it would be. When she rejoined Ron later to return to the city, to their long-lost apartment, both were smiling in a goofy fashion. Ron linked arms with Kim.

"What are you thinking?" He yawned, tightening his grip as his body tensed.

"That maybe being a hero won't be so bad. The twins would love me."

"They already do." Ron laughed. "I can't say I'm against you doing the hero thing. You're just so… naturally helpful."

"Naturally helpful. I like that."

"Gems of wisdom, my friend, are what I'm dealing out these days."

"You'll do it with me?"

"Of course." Ron agreed – not about to step down from the cool gear he'd been gifted in the name of justice.

As they approached the city, Kim wondered idly what place Shego would take in the newly reborn justice system. Her heart clenched as they passed the exit for Shego's apartment and continued on to their own. Perhaps it would work out on its own.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Thanks for your patience. Review if the will strikes you. I enjoy hearing feedback, and altering my plans accordingly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language.

* * *

><p>Chapter 13<p>

In Which a Hero Returns

Ducking a punch, Kim fell back and bounced on her heels. In front of her Shego brandished fists covered in thick red gloves. The two squared off again and a flurry of punches passed between them. One caught Kim on the shoulder, another clipped Shego's cheek.

"Hey now." Shego scolded, though her mouth quirked into a semblance of a grin. "What happened to toning it down? This is just sparring."

Kim wiped at beads of sweat on her temple with her forearm. "Sorry, I forgot."

"Well, don't forget again. You may have super skin, but I don't."

As they launched at each other again, Kim made sure to keep her strength under control. After the catastrophe of fighting Drakken, she'd convinced Shego to take another stab at training her. Thankfully the green villain had realized one important element to training Kim – take away the competition. By setting up the rules that there would be no winner, Shego found that she could easily teach Kim the basics. The point was not to achieve victory, but to keep a volley going.

Kim kicked her feet out and tried to knock Shego off balance. The thief sprang backwards, out of the way, and darted back towards Kim when the coast was clear. Only by throwing her arm up was Kim able to avoid a boxing glove to the chin.

"Good." Shego called as she fell back a distance to catch her breath. "I think that's enough for now."

Despite her meager praise, Shego was much happier with her pupil than before. Kim was finally beginning to understand that it wasn't the hardest hit that mattered, but the manner in which it was delivered. The next time Kim was in a fight, Shego hoped that Kim wouldn't barrel straight into another trap.

Kim peeled her gloves off, accidentally catching a whiff of the stench that emerged with her sore fingers. She reeled back and dropped the gloves to the ground. Seeing this, Shego chuckled.

"It's just a sign that you're doing it right."

"Yeah…" Kim grimaced. "I'm sure I smell just as bad as they do."

"Hm."

"Can I ask you a question?"

Shego arched an eyebrow in Kim's direction. "Shoot."

"You promise you'll answer?"

"Are we second graders?"

"Why won't you be a good guy?"

Shego paused from rubbing her neck down with a towel. "Really? You're going to call it that?"

"Stop dodging my question." Kim crossed the space between them and snagged Shego's wrist. "Ron and I could really use your help."

Shego snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Or at least we could use your not not helping us." Kim's grip tightened. "I need yo- your help."

"I don't know what filth Betty has been filling your head with, but there's no way I can go straight. I don't have a way of repaying anything, and I wouldn't want to. This is my life now, thank you very much."

Kim wrinkled her nose, clearly displeased with this answer. "Then that means that we… well, that we won't see each other often, or in a good way."

"What do you mean a good way?"

"If you're a villain, and I'm a hero, you think we'd ever be able to be seen together again? Outside of a fight?"

Shego tugged her arm free and stalked off. "And you really think I'd care?"

Kim chased after her, stumbling over Shego's discarded gloves. "Will you just stop and talk to me?"

"What's the point? We're headed in two different directions."

"When we started this whole thing, you told me you weren't just trying to get Drakken out of the way. I thought… that maybe you were different than the media portrays you. I guess I was wrong."

Although Shego recognized Kim's speech as bait, she couldn't help but take it. "Oh? And how does the media portray me?"

"As a coldhearted thief with nothing but selfishness as a motive." Reaching out again, Kim grabbed Shego's shoulders in her hands. Her thumbs massaged small circles. "Is that really who you are?"

The insistent _yes_ on Shego's lips died at the pleading look in Kim's eyes. "What does it matter to you?"

"When I was frozen, who stayed with me and made sure I was going to be alright."

"I did." Shego muttered. This felt an awful lot like she was being scolded by her mother – a feeling she didn't desire.

"And who's helped me train to fight evil?"

"Me." Shego pressed a hand against Kim's lips to silence her. "But what does it matter? There's no way I can pay all that money back, even if I wanted to."

Kim smiled, a genuine grin the swallowed her entire face. This was a step forward from Shego denying she wanted to. "We could make it work."

If Shego had been more willing to share her feelings, she would have related how it had been too long since she'd been a contributing, active member of society – how she was afraid that she wouldn't quite fit in. Instead, she fixed an emotionless eye on Kim and shrugged.

"I'm sick the apathy." Kim shook her head. "I just thought that, after all that time you spent trying to save me, that I could… I don't know – return the favor."

"I don't need to be saved."

Kim's face dropped and Shego cast her gaze as far from the crestfallen disappointment in Kim's eyes as she could.

"If that's really the way you feel…?" Kim trailed off. When no answer was forthcoming, she gathered her boxing gear up and went to the door. "I guess I'll see you around. Thanks for your help."

Shego bit her tongue and watched Kim go.

|x|x|x|

"And you just left? Just like that?" Ron slapped his forehead with his palm. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Kim affirmed. She balanced her chin on her fists.

"You two are worse that teenage boys."

"If I'm the kettle, then you're the pot." Kim shot back.

"Blah, blah, blah!" He dismissed her with a wild flap of his hand. "Trying to one up me with overused expressions isn't going to make this… emotional mess any tidier."

"I'm not an emotional mess!"

"Clearly you are." He riposted. "Otherwise why would you relate that story to me in horrific detail, down to the tight white tank top Shego was wearing whilst you sparred?"

Kim flushed. "I just wanted you to know what's going on."

"Kimberly." The tone in his voice bordered on poisonous. "We both know that she put up with me, but that she actually liked you. I put up with her, too. There was definitely no love lost between the two of us."

"She's your friend, don't even try to deny it."

"Kim, no she's not. I stayed at her place to figure things out, but it was always you that she was rooting for, you that she wanted to save."

"You're making it sound like I actually matter to her." Kim closed her eyes so he wouldn't see her rolling them.

"That's the thing, K.P. – you do!"

He jumped to his feet and paced the length of the room twice. Rufus nearly tumbled out of his pocket. While Kim's life seemed to only complicate itself as time went on, Rufus found his life simplifying. With Ron back at the apartment, he never had to worry about getting attacked, or even where he was going to be sleeping. He could just exist in Ron's pocket and yawn to his heart's content.

"Are you sure you're not some sort of prepubescent boy in the disguise of a fiery redhead?"

Kim tittered for a moment. "I'm sure."

"Because you're really acting like one."

"I'm sure, Ron."

"Seriously."

"Look, if you're just going to get agitated, I can take my problems elsewhere."

Sensing that he was losing control of the situation, Ron changed tactics. "Well, I guess we can both agree that this is your problem."

"Thank you." Kim sighed.

"It's very much _your_ problem that Shego is resisting the help that would allow her to remain in close contact with you."

Kim recoiled. "That's not my problem!"

"Then what is?"

Faltering, Kim searched her brain for a good excuse. "A known thief is on the loose. We know where she lives. Aren't we duty-bound to bring her in?"

"Kim, stop it." Ron's voice dropped. He was through arguing with her. If this last tactic didn't work, he was going to stop – and nobody would be able to say that he hadn't tried. "Can you admit something to me?"

"What?" Her pitch dropped miserably.

"Do you like Shego?"

"Yes. She's an excellent fighter."

"As a person?"

Kim's breath caught in her throat. "Yes? I mean, she's been nothing but decent to us. Even though she is part of the reason that I'm like this now. But still – she cared enough to check on me."

"Imagine your life without her in it."

"No."

"Come on, just do this one thing."

"Fine." Kim sent her imagination on a trip. Her only response was a wrinkling of the nose and a toss of her hair. "I honestly can't do it."

"So all I'm saying is that…" Before Ron could finish his sentence, Kim's communicator jangled and the young hero picked it up immediately. He completed the sentence with a whisper. "I think you like her more than you're letting on."

"What's the sitch?" If Kim had heard his words, she ignored them in favor of listening to Wade.

"There's a hold up in progress at the First National Bank of Go City, off of 5th and Witcham."

"I'm on it." Kim announced.

"That's not why I'm calling. I was hoping you could oversee some of the returning superheroes as they deal with it."

"So I don't get to beat someone up?" Kim groaned – she'd been looking forward to letting this excess energy out.

"No, but you'll get to work with Melodious Man."

Her face lit up. "I'm on it even more!"

|x|x|x|

"Who the fuck pulled the silent alarm?" The robber waved his gun wildly from person to person – each of whom was cowering on the floor. A few wanton sobs drifted through the otherwise quiet room. "Was it you?"

The young woman his gun was pointing at covered her head with her hands and whimpered. "Not me."

"Someone here did it. How else did the cops show up and those fucking costumes." His voice dropped dangerously. "I'll start shooting and hopefully kill the fucker who pulled that alarm."

_No_, the robber considered, _I will not be going back to that damn jail. I spent too many years with my nose down in the mud to go back there._ When the jail had exploded, he'd been one of the first to disappear into the streets. He still had a few connections willing to hook him up with room and board, but he was sick of freeloading. This job was supposed to be easy, according to his buddy who had thought the whole thing through. _Yeah, Bert, real fucking easy._

A moment before he opened fire, the front windows of the bank shattered in. A hulking man in a tutu entered seconds later, his arms spread wide and his mouth smiling.

"Drop your weapon, citizen, and you will be spared the humiliation of your utter defeat."

_Surrender to that? _He thought and bottled a laugh in his chest. _No ways he could actually take someone down._

"This is your last chance."

"Suck my eggs." The robber swung his gun up and tried to open fire.

Melodious Man opened his mouth and sucked in a breath. What he released was in a register too high for normal human hearing, but compacted the bullets and shattered the gun. The robber, robbed of his weapon, ran directly at Melodious Man in a last ditch attempt at staying a free man. In response, Melodious Man screeched once, and the robber fell to the ground with a light trickle of blood leaking from his ears.

"Do not worry citizens!" He announced. "He is but wounded – it is not fatal nor crippling."

A round of applause started quietly and gained momentum. Kim entered the building and checked the robber's pulse for good measure. When she was sure that all was in order, she clapped Melodious Man on the back.

"You're just as good as I remember."

"Thank you!" He struck a pose. "It's all coming back to me."

"Seems almost too easy."

"Yes, well, he wasn't super powered. It's to be expected that he could not withstand my almighty voice." Melodious Man grinned at her. "Although, I have to say that my tutu is probably what seals the deal eight times out of ten."

"The tutu?"

As the two heroes walked back out into the sunshine, Melodious Man let his aggressive hero voice melt back into Jerome Waller's plaintive tones.

"They take one look at how ridiculous I look, and they write me off. It's that moment of their disbelief that allows me to get the upperhand. I thought it was awfully clever."

Kim had to agree. What she had originally thought was an incredibly stupid fashion decision came down to function – and function it did. Jerome removed his mask when they were hidden together in an alley, and ran a hand through his matted down hair.

"So do I pass inspection, Sergeant? Am I good enough?"

"Not my call to make, Private." She played back. "But if it were up to me, then yes. Welcome back."

"You really don't know how much you're going to miss things until they're gone." Jerome stated pleasantly. "I left a lot behind here, and I get the feeling it's going to be like slipping a favorite pair of sneakers on being back."

"Yeah?"

"I used to have a girlfriend. But I had to walk out on her when I got chased out of town." Jerome grimaced. "I might not be able to get her back, but at least I can explain myself now. I can tie up those loose ends. Life doesn't hand you many second chances, boy."

"So you should take them when you can." Kim murmured.

The communicator jingled and Kim put it on speakerphone.

"Nice work out there, Melodious Man." Betty commented. "I was watching from the security tapes. That kid Wade really has a way with technology."

Kim waited around until Betty was through stroking Jerome's ego. As soon as the moment was over, she ended the call and bounded off into the city. She had a mission of her own to take care of.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This is getting a little longer than expected. The Kigo is coming. Pretty much next chapter. Not like I'm spoiling what Kim's mission is. Or am I? Leave your thoughts, if you want.


	14. Chapter 14

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language.

* * *

><p>Chapter 14<p>

In Which

When the sun began its journey down toward the horizon and beyond, Go City was already alight with neon signs and streetlamps. Unlike most nights, however, the citizens were not on the sidewalks enjoying the weather. Most people were crowding around television sets, watching as a variety of costumed heroes made the pilgrimage back into the city. Feelings ranged from heartened and hopeful, to cynical.

Nowhere were feelings stronger than in the small apartment inhabited by Shego – though not for the same reasons as the rest of the city. She stood with her hands crossed defensively in front of her body and her eyebrow cocked at the woman in the doorway. Though her heart had zoomed at the sight of Kim, she made sure her face betrayed nothing.

"What are you doing here?"

"We don't really get second chances, Shego." Kim took a step forward with her hands outreached.

Shego took a step backward. "You get plenty of second chances – you're proof of that."

Not wanting to put undue pressure on Shego, Kim went to the couch and sat down, trying to look relaxed. After a moment, Shego sniffed loudly and joined her, albeit on the opposite end. Kim bit her lips.

"I've had plenty of chances, but I really shouldn't have, y'know?" Kim traced patterns into the cushion beneath her. "Like, I should be dead three times over. More, probably. And I got to thinking… that if, like, life was giving me all these second chances, maybe I wouldn't get too many second chances with the other big stuff."

"Yeah?" Shego rolled her eyes, but only when she knew Kim couldn't see her do it. Kim sounded as if she'd huffed some paint after downing a round of mushrooms.

"The big stuff like love."

A silence descended between them. Shego stared stoically at the wall even though she could feel Kim's eyes piercing into her. When she could bare it no more, Shego began tapping her foot against the ground.

"Why tell me all this nonsense?"

"Shego… What do you think of me?"

Taken slightly aback, Shego turned to look at the slimmer woman. Kim wore a timid smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Shego resisted the urge to reach out and take Kim's hand, to make that smile actually mean something.

"You're alright." Shego managed. "You're getting to be a pretty good fighter. Still need work, but, eh, what can you expect."

"I didn't mean about my fighting skills." Kim insisted. "Me as a person… in relation to you."

"You're a good kid."

"That's it?"

"What else do you want from me?" Shego demanded. "You're a freaking hero, a goody-two-shoes to the nth degree. I suppose I really should say that you're too good, like sprinkling sugar on a strawberry. Its unhealthy how 'good' you are."

"I- I think you're amazing." Kim whispered, averting her eyes. Despite her ability to punch a bank robber in the face, and the ice traveling through her veins, there was just something about her feelings that she couldn't quite manage.

Shego almost unwillingly scooted a little closer, but maintained her cold façade. "Suck up. What do you want?"

"I can't just compliment you?" Kim argued. She was glad, though, that the feeling of normalcy was slowly returning to the room.

"No. What do you want?"

"Give me a chance."

"A chance?" Shego chuckled. "To do what?"

Kim bolstered herself with a deep breath. "To take this chance."

Shego finally looked at her. "What chance?"

"Don't be dumb, please. I know you know what I mean."

"So what if I do?" Shego flapped her hands through the air. "What good would it ever do to admit to anything? No matter what I may know that you know that I know that you know, the facts remain that you're a force of good and I'm just not."

"That doesn't matter to me." Kim leaned closer to Shego, her eyes wide and searching.

"Maybe not to you, but the rest of the world sure cares. Our friendship is taboo."

"Friendship." Kim repeated the word as if she'd never heard it before. "Is that what this is to you?"

"Isn't that what we have? Two people trying to beat each other up on a regular basis, with nothing but good thoughts as motives?"

"Stop being difficult! Listen – I've read a lot of cheesy romance books in my time, and seen a lot of terrible romance movies. I don't want some stupid experience where you think I'm dead, or I think you're dead, to make us realize… Well, I guess it kind of did." Kim laughed quietly. "But if I didn't almost die, I wouldn't know you like I do. But I don't want life to have to give me another chance before…"

When Kim's tirade trailed off, Shego leaned back against the couch. There were two voices hooting and hollering in her head, or rather perching on her shoulders. The one, who she imagined would be wearing some sort of sexy green dress, demanded that she should flip societal expectations the bird, accept her feelings and make a move; The other, perhaps dressed in a demure black nun's habit, insisted that she do what was right and make Kim move on – there was nothing to be gained by what the slighter woman wanted. Shego's face curled up as she wondered why, for the first time in many years, it was just so hard to be bad.

"Well? Are you going to say something?"

Shego looked up and realized that several minutes of tense silence had passed. She cleared her throat. "Look, Princess, I think you should just forget about me."

"What?" It was Kim's turn to look perplexed.

"I know you have this idealized vision of how things might turn out, but that's just not how life works. I'm a villain. You're a hero. One way or another, we just can't work."

As a final measure, Kim pouted. "Don't take that chance away from me."

Something about the very pathetic look on Kim's face gave Shego pause. "I'm looking out for you, Princess."

"I don't need you to look out for me." Kim leaned in closer. "I just need you."

Silently, Shego cursed her inability to say no to that face. Her response was to close the distance between them.

|x|x|x|

"I take it you three are settling in nicely?" Lord Fiske clutched his hands behind his back as he stared down at his three guests. He hesitated to call them as such because their behavior towards him was less than genial, but guests they were.

Crash slammed his fist into the firm wood of one of Fiske's favorite coffee tables – it had been crafted out of redwood by the Amish, and it had cost him more than a small fee. He kept the wince off his face. If he wanted these men to do his bidding, he had to show his control.

"Seriously, man, if you don't let us out of here soon, you will not like what we do." Crash threatened. He tensed his hand into a fist to prove his point.

Dash shook his head. Given his druthers, he wouldn't mind waiting a few more days under the radar and in such a ritzy place. "Cool it, Crash. We'll do what we gotta, when we gotta."

"Precisely." Fiske announced. "And, while I am aware of your physical frustrations, I cannot allow you to step outside just yet. There are too many do-gooders anxious to prove how good they are. We strike now, and they'll shoot us down in a heartbeat."

"Shit." Crash bounced on his heels in an attempt to get his nervous energy out. "I just get the feelin' that we're wasting time sittin' here with our thumbs jammed up our asses. What is you want from us, Fiske?"

"You want a job? Fine. There is a statue in the Go City Metropolitan Museum. It is located on the fourth floor, in the east wing. It is not terribly well guarded, but will require some finesse. You bring that to me, and I can make things around here move faster."

"Finally!" Burn jumped to his feet from where he'd been sulking near the floor. "Let me do it."

"You'll all do it." Fiske sighed. Although he hadn't planned on taking care of this part of the plan for another week at least, the three knuckleheads were capable of – or should be capable of – extracting the statue. "Bring me the statue that looks like a monkey and I can promise that by next week you'll be rich and powerful."

Fiske chose not to mention that he was lying through his teeth. If his plans worked out, they'd be back in jail cells. There was only room for one super villain in the city, and he intended to fill that space with gusto.

As he walked away, the three men huddled together to plan their caper. Several times, Crash began to jitter, but Burn drew him back in with a snap of his fingers. All three were suffering from adrenaline withdrawals, as they liked to think of it. At least in jail there were daily rumbles to keep them fit and use their testosterone.

"Look, if Dash goes in and scopes the place out, then Crash – you can find somewhere to hide while the place is open, like a bathroom stall."

"You really think that'll work?"

"Shit, man, there's a dumb kid's book where it works. If dumb kids can do it, so can we."

"Okay, so pretend for a moment that I scout it out, and he hides it out, what are you doing?"

Burn scratched his head. "At about five minutes until the museum closes, I'm going to find a security guard and tell him that I can't find my nephew – that I saw him talking to a suspicious stranger down on the other end of the building. My nephew disappeared because I got caught behind a tour. I'll demand that they help me find him. That should pull security's attention away."

"But they'll be able to check a camera and see that you came in alone."

"Fine. Then instead of hiding, Crash you get to wait around where I am. I'll find a kid to borrow for a while, just to take him into the building. Crash you'll be in charge of escorting him outside. So you get to be our kidnapper. That'll leave you, Dash, still up with that weird statue thing. Wait until the attention has been dragged to my growing drama. Then snatch the damn statue and leave."

"What if it's alarmed?"

"Bring a bag of sand, Indiana Jones style."

Dash wrinkled his nose. "Wasn't he chased by a giant boulder when he did that?"

"Dumbass, you'll be in a museum. There won't be any traps or giant boulders."

Crash scratched his head. "Where are we going to get a kid to help us out?"

"Kidnapping?" Burn suggested.

"If we kidnap the runt, why would he help us?"

"Don't either of you have a nephew or a niece?"

"I haven't talked to my kid sis in years." Crash mused. "She might, but she also don't live in the city. It would take time to have the kid shipped to us."

Burn stood up and stormed from the room. If Fiske wanted this done right, he'd need to provide a little back up. He made sure that each slam of his foot echoed through the halls. Eventually he found Lord Fiske relaxing by a reflection pool.

"Fiske – we need a child."

Monty raised a delicately plucked eyebrow. "That is… probably the single strangest request I've yet to hear."

"We've got a genius plan, but we need a kid to pull it off."

"Would a child-like creature satisfy your needs?" Fiske cracked his knuckles first, and then his toes. "I have many a trained monkey that would pass for a hairy child."

"Hell, if it doesn't go bat-shit on us, we'll take it."

"Then a monkey you shall have." He rose to his full height and paraded away down the hallway. "Go back to your planning, and then you'll have your reward."

Grinning crookedly, Burn returned to his fellows with the news. They relaxed, assured that their plans would go off without a hitch.

|x|x|x|

"Hey, K.P. Um, you haven't been back to the apartment in a few hours, and you haven't touched base with me. I'm getting a little worried. Cut me a little slack, please. Call me back?" Kim deleted the message and waited for the next to start. "Kimberly Possible! I'm serious about this. I'm going to call Betty. Where are you? Just let me know."

"Who's that?" Shego called from the kitchen. She was no Ron Stoppable, but she could still put together a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Ronald." Kim responded. "He's been trying to figure out where I am. He's really starting to panic."

"Just call him back. What's the harm?"

Kim grimaced – if she called the outside world, then the peaceful afternoon she'd crafted with Shego would come to a rude end. Reality would burst in and Shego would renege on her promise to try. Before responding, Kim called to mind the blissful memory she had of their first kiss. It had felt almost perfect. All those cheesy romantic books she'd read in high school had made her cynical. Her younger self had been sure that there were no fireworks involved, no perfect union of selves. But Shego was making her question that.

"If I call him, I'll have to go back." Kim explained.

"You'll have to go back out there sometime." Shego set the sandwich down in front of Kim. "You can't hide here forever."

"I'm not hiding." Kim responded absently. She fiddled with her hair.

"Then what's on your mind?"

"If I go… will I be able to come back?"

"Are you asking if I think… what happened was a mistake?"

_She can't even say it_, Kim thought miserably. _She's ashamed of me._ "I guess so."

"No." Shego closed her eyes. "Although for some reason the last niggling sense of goodness left in me is telling me to set you free."

"Don't you dare."

"I won't, I won't." Shego threw her hands into the air. "I'm pretty sure you argued me into that corner already."

"I argued you there?"

"Will you stop over-thinking things?" Shego snapped.

When Kim's glum expression didn't change, Shego leaned in and kissed her. Although she was against admitting it, she felt at peace that close to Kim. Her eyes slid closed. Kim reached behind her neck and held her there. A burning sensation rippled under Shego's skin and she pulled back before she moved too fast.

"If I keep over-thinking will you do that again?" Kim smiled, genuinely that time.

"Punk."

"I guess you're pretty persuasive. I'll call Ron back."

Shego watched her petite redhead traverse into the hallway to make the phone call and fought the silly grin spreading across her face. She was a badass, not some sappy creature in love. Straightening up, she glanced at the forgotten sandwich. It seemed that Kim was more interested in kisses than in food. She snagged it up and munched happily while she waited.

Kim burst back in moments later, her face grim. "Seems that while we were otherwise occupied, three known criminals made off with a priceless artifact."

"Any idea who they were? What they stole?"

"Some sort of monkey statue." Kim reported. "There are heroes on the scene already, so they don't need me. But Ron is happy to know where I am."

"Are you sure?" Shego questioned. "I'd hate to keep you from your work."

"Actually, I was hoping you'd help me…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **As I was typing something here earlier about getting this out before my power failed (thanks thunderstorms), the power failed. But here it is, only a little bit into Sunday. Peace!


	15. Chapter 15

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language.

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

In Which a Hero Fumbles

"I still don't understand why I need to be here." Shego stood with her arms crossed and her eyebrows lowered.

A few steps to her left, Kim peered into a computer screen. "Because, oh Master of Thievery, it takes one to catch one."

"I'm not sure that's how the saying goes." She snipped back, if only to cover up that she was pleased at her new title.

"Can you focus for just a moment here?"

Shego wrinkled her nose, but leaned towards the screen as well. Kim was relying on her, perhaps unjustly, but she did want to help the smaller female. She watched the little pixilated man lean over and lift the little pixilated statue off a little pixilated pedestal. When he disappeared from view, Kim looked expectantly at her.

"What?"

"Are there any clues there?"

"You're seeing the same thing that I am." Shego stated defensively.

"I know… I just thought that you might be able to tell something more. You have the experience. Like, why steal that statue? It's not even valuable, really. It's historical, sure, but there weren't even any jewels. Was there anything about what we watched that might suggest why it happened?"

Shego shrugged. "It looked like an average theft. It's not this part that should interest you. The actual stealing is the simplest part, mostly. Think about how he got away with it."

"There was a disturbance, with a monkey dressed as a child being… monkeynapped by one of the guy's cohorts. The third man distracted the security guards in the first place."

"And nothing from that gives you any sort of clue?"

Kim shrugged her shoulders uselessly. "No."

"Think it through. What part of your statement stands out to you?"

"I don't know."

"Seriously?"

Kim stomped her foot childishly to the floor. "Shego! I asked for your help for a reason. You're smart."

"So are you."

"Come on! Time might be a factor here."

Shego hesitated. "Kim, I'm not here to be a crutch for you."

Kim's face twisted up in frustration. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, Kim, I do like you, but I get the feeling that you're expecting me to turn over a new leaf for you."

"I…" Kim paused and wondered if that was true.

"If you're serious about trying to make this work, then you're going to need to come to terms with the fact that I'm not a good guy. My job isn't to make the life of a hero easier."

"I thought maybe I was different… Helping me isn't the same as helping a hero."

"It is, though, Princess. You're so thoroughly planted on the side of justice that you might as well be a thousand year old oak tree. I wouldn't ask you to change that. All I'm asking is that you don't try to change me, either."

Kim peered back at the screen, to give herself a moment to process. "Isn't it strange that they used a monkey as a distraction? Like, where'd they get one?"

Shego smiled, despite the resignation she felt. From Kim's non-answer, she gleaned Kim's real meaning – _I can't promise that._

"Exactly. That'll give you a good start, won't it?"

"Where does someone get a hold of a monkey?" Kim scratched her head. "Yeah, this is a good start. Thank you for helping me."

Before Shego could grimace or retort, Kim swooped in and kissed the surly woman and then scampered off to begin her detective work. Shego rubbed her lips with what she hoped looked like a sour expression, but it was no use. Kim's sweetness was overwhelming.

|x|x|x|

"Are you sure you left nothing behind?" Fiske demanded, his eyes trained on the box holding his statue. "No evidence that will lead them here?"

"Positive." Crash stated proudly.

Burn ducked his head to hide the paling of his skin, but it was too late. Fiske fixated in on him. "Why are you changing colors?"

"No reason." Burn murmured as Crash elbowed him in the side.

"It's nothing." Crash insisted.

"Tell me."

Dash squared his shoulders. "During the chase, the hat was knocked off the monkey. Security will know it was not a child that was kidnapped, but a monkey."

"Which gives them nothing." Crash slammed his foot down on Dash's. "They'll just know that we were the distraction."

Fiske shook his head. "You had better hope for that."

When the three men strolled away Fiske went to the box and lifted his prize out - the penultimate statue. The last one was scheduled to arrive some time the next week. He'd bought it from a private collection owned by an eclectic man in Paraguay. _Soon,_ he thought, _they will be together._ With cautious fingers, he carried the idol to the hallway. Once sure that the goon squad was nowhere in sight, he pulled on a light fixture, thus lowering the floor in front of him down to an alternate passage.

At the end of the ersatz hallway was a dimly lit chamber where the first of the three statues resided. Fiske placed the second one on its appropriate platform and grinned. If those three hadn't bungled things up, then by this time next week he'd be a powerful man.

|x|x|x|

"And you're sure about that?" Betty tapped her fingernails on her keyboard.

The zookeeper with whom she was speaking laughed. "I think I'd notice if one of our monkeys went missing."

"I just had to double check."

"Yeah, I understand. But all of our brood here is accounted for."

"Do you happen to know if any other zoo in the area is missing anyone?"

"Nope, and things like that are generally big news – and not just to the zoo circuit." He replied.

"Where else could someone obtain a monkey?"

She could hear him shifting in his seat, as it squeaked under his weight. "Technically speaking, it's illegal to own monkeys in this state. It's dangerous to both animal and human."

"But people do it."

"Well, yeah. Write a law and somebody somewhere will break it."

"Do you know of anybody in particular?"

"I do."

Betty waited a moment, sure the man would answer. When nothing came forth, she sighed. "Mr. McRoberts, please help me out here. I can call the police for help if that would help you to answer, but I'd rather keep this civil."

"I don't think I can tell you." His voice took on a slightly more timorous effect. "After all, this person is a major contributor to our establishment."

She narrowed her eyes. This might be the only clue she got. "Oh, I see. Well, I'm sorry to trouble you."

"All financial records are available to the public, if you call our main office. I could transfer you."

Betty rubbed her forehead (_If he was going to be so helpful, why couldn't he simply tell her one name?_), but nodded slowly. "That would be great, thank you."

While she waited through the transfer, she turned her attention to her computer. So far, with Kim's help, she had started narrowing down their list of suspects. Most of the people on the list had no connection to the three escaped convicts. She'd even gone down to the jail to drill Dr. Drakken for information – which had been a wild goose chase on its own.

"Cindy Morales."

"Oh, hi." Betty snapped back to attention. "This is Betty Director, head of Global Justice. I was hoping to obtain a list of people who have made significant donations to the monkey house over the past fifteen years."

"Oh I see." Cindy began clacking on her computer. "Would you have a fax machine?"

"I would."

Betty counted off the numbers and was promised that she would get the fax in less than ten minutes. She thanked Cindy and hung up. True to the promise, only a few minutes later a list of ten names printed out of her machine. She grabbed it and swiveled back to her computer.

Of the names, four were dead - which meant, she figured, six names were viable. She called Wade and relayed this information to him. He ran a search with his own means and determined that of the six, only three had bought equipment necessary for housing primates. Beyond that, though, it was impossible to tell from the flat data who was behind the heist.

"Looks like we'll be going on some house calls." Betty said.

Wade laughed. "Good thing we have so many agents ready and willing.

"But we better not choose anyone who looks like a hero. We can't be too forward – we just need to get the basics. I don't want any sort of attacking to happen."

"Fine." Wade agreed. "How about Will?"

"And Ron."

They discussed their final decision at greater length – of the new recruits, most were muscle bound and bent on justice, not quite ideal for missions of discrete nature. Finally they settled on a relatively small woman named Elena Miller, also known as Red Hot. Without her flaming costume, she was far from intimidating but she could take care of herself.

|x|x|x|

Ron knocked the massive door before him. It was nearly twice his height and was surrounded by elaborate architecture. At the door's crest, a monkey-like gargoyle loomed down on any would-be visitors. On top of all that, the door had made his fist ache. In his mind, he cowered backwards, but in reality he tried to puff his chest out in a mimicry of strength.

"Hello?" He knocked again.

"One moment, please." The door swung open to reveal a portly elderly man with a shock of white hair. He bowed. "How may I assist you?"

"Hey, is Montgomery Fiske home? I got some questions."

"Lord Fiske is indeed in residence, however you need an appointment."

"Oh come on, I just need a moment of the dude's time."

"The… dude... has a busy lifestyle. Excuse me." The man was going to swing the door shut, but Ron caught it before it closed.

"Please." He cleared his throat and tried to adopt the regality of the man's tone. "Forgive my indiscretions. My millions of apologies. I merely wished to conversate momentarily with the esteemed master of this household."

The man peered at him and nodded. "I will go and see if Lord Fiske is available for visitors."

"Thank you, good sir."

Ron slumped down as the man walked away. Pretending to be refined was hard work, but he wouldn't complain. Several minutes later the door opened again and Ron was admitted. The man guided him to a small parlor where Ron was left to his own devices. Just as Ron was going to leave out of boredom, Fiske entered.

"What is the occasion for this unheralded visit?"

Ron quailed slightly, but smiled. "I'm working with a group trying to open up a monkey reservation. We know you've made contributions to various zoos in the area, and were hoping we could perhaps talk to you."

Fiske remained rigid. "Oh is that so?"

"If you are financially unable or unwilling, perhaps you could give us some tips?" Ron persisted. "I was told by Leroy Jenkins you had facilities here… y'know… where you care for monkeys. If you could maybe show me how you do it, my group would be better prepared."

"And what was the name of this group?" Though suspicious, Fiske was placated by the name-drop of his close friend. If Jenkins had mentioned it, this boy was probably of little threat.

"We're going to call ourselves Healers of Monkeys Everywhere, or HOME."

"I've never heard of you."

"Like I said, we're just getting started. But monkey welfare is essential. So often people get them as pets and can't actually care for them properly. But you… you're practically a legend in the monkey owning communities."

While Fiske mulled this over, Ron held in his shivers. Monkeys gave him the creeps, but he was there to get answers.

"Fine. You may see my facilities." Fiske gestured and padded down the hallway.

Tumbling after him, Ron hit a button on the remote in his pocket. It would let Wade know that he had made it in the door was making progress. If he missed pinging every twenty minutes, Wade would know something was wrong.

"Right this way." As they traversed the mansions hallways, Ron tried to take in as much as he could, including any strange noises he heard. They approached an area that smelled heavily of hay. "Welcome to the Monkey House."

Ron peered around, his heart hammering. "You have a highly unique cage design…"

"Thank you." Fiske pointed towards the ceiling. "Though each cage houses one monkey ordinarily, I can join any two or three cages by using the ducts overhead. Socialization and breeding is easier with my design."

"Do they always stay there?" Fiske stared at him. Ron shifted. "I mean, do you have a space for exercise?"

"Yes." Fiske led him further into the room. "The door there connects to an outside domain. I do have it fenced in."

"No monkeys escaping, haha." Ron laughed awkwardly.

"Exactly." Fiske nodded. "My goal is to give them a comfortable life, free of danger. The chance of escape may seem like a pipedream for many activists, but the world beyond my cages is ill suited for monkeys. I hope they never have to suffer leaving my property."

Ron pinged the remote in his pocket. He nodded slowly, fairly sure Fiske checked out. "Well, thank you for the look. Would you have any tips for us?"

"Monkeys are highly intelligent creatures, and eons ahead of us as far as physical motion is concerned. Keep them busy and keep their brains active."

"Noted!"

"Well, if you have no further questions?"

Ron shook his head. "Thank you for your time, Lord Fiske."

They began the trip towards the front door, but were halted by a loud banging from somewhere in the depths of the home. Fiske commanded him to remain where he was and ran off towards the source. Ron leaned back on the wall, accidentally pressing into a sharp edge. He leapt forward as if stung and stumbled. His hand landed on an unusual light fixture and he came to rest.

His eyes shifted left and right. In the movies he liked to watch, this would be the part when something would open up before him. Nothing occurred, so he tried pushing on the light. Unperturbed, he swiveled it and twisted it – and finally pulled it. It seemed ridiculous to him now that he was even trying. He turned to wait for Fiske; that was when the floor shook. When he turned around, there was a new passageway.

"No way!" He thrust his fist into the air and tugged it back to his side. "It actually worked. Fate must love me."

He went down through the dark and was elated to find the statue at the end. Unfortunately, it was at about this time that Fiske appeared behind him and everything went black.

|x|x|x|

"What do you mean, Ron's gone?" Kim demanded.

Betty coughed uncomfortably. "He last checked into heading to the exit of Lord Montgomery Fiske's home."

"And not since?"

"Correct."

Kim bit down on her finger to keep from cursing. It seemed that Ron could do very little without getting into trouble. "I thought you said that this was a canvassing mission."

"It was supposed to be just that. He was just supposed to look around and leave. We specifically told him no heroics."

"So he just got caught – on a lie, probably." Kim figured. "Well, we know where he is and who's to blame for the theft, so I just have to go and get him."

"Not that simple." Betty groaned. "If he did indeed catch Ron, then he'll be on guard for any sort of rescue attempt. He'll either kill Ron right away to avoid the hassle, or Ron is in for a long torturous time."

"We can't just leave him."

"But we can't just rush in either." Betty reasoned. "Remain calm. Every other time that you've bull-rushed in, what's happened?"

Kim fell silent. "Fine, you're right. Just keep me updated."

"Will do." In the background, Kim could hear Will asking Betty what she required. "Not you, Du."

"Bye." Kim threw the communicator to the side and began to pout. She hated acting like a five year old, but she felt that she couldn't help it. Her best friend was at risk again. But, her traitorous optimistic side chimed in, this time it wasn't her fault. He took this risk on his own. The thought didn't make it any better.

_I'll get him back._ Kim promised herself. _One way or another, I won't let him die._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry about the delay! If you've ever played the game Heavy Rain, you'll understand what happened.


	16. Chapter 16

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language.

* * *

><p>Chapter 16<p>

In Which a Hero Learns Some Team Work

A moment after Kim ducked to the left, a fist slammed into the wall behind where she was previously. She pulled her elbows back towards her body with her hands up near her face in a protective stance. As her opponent whipped around to attack again, Kim bobbed under and slid up. Her uppercut slammed into the villain's chin, forcing the man's jaw to clack closed and his body to sail backwards. Kim had only a moment to wonder if she'd used too much force before another man rushed towards her.

She shut this one down by dropping to the ground and spinning a kick at his ankles. When his body met the floor, she delivered a swift kick to his side and he rose no more. Kim gazed around the room for more attackers but found herself alone.

"Wade, you there?"

Through an earpiece his voice crackled out. "Yeah."

"This is child's play, Wade, and I don't appreciate being put on babysitting jobs when I should be out there…"

"Doing what?" Wade demanded. "Rushing recklessly into an area where one of us has already gone down?"

Kim heard footsteps behind her and slammed her left leg backwards. Her foot contacted the firm flesh of another person and a thud proclaimed the man felled. "Any of the other heroes could do this job."

"But I asked you to."

"And I'm doing it, aren't I?"

"You are." He demurred. "Think of this as a way to keep busy while we figure out a plan of action."

"I'm not a high school student. I don't need busywork so that I don't cause trouble."

Wade sighed, a deep heaving noise that rattled her earpiece. "I know. But I also know how prone you are to follow your feelings."

"I have great instincts." Kim responded. Once she was sure that all her opponents were incapacitated, she bound their wrists and retrieved the stolen property from their persons. The police were on their way and she waited around until the first police officer showed up.

"We never questioned your instincts. We just question your ability to strategize on the spot." Wade chuckled. "I'm a pretty decent tactician. Listen to me and we'll get Ron back."

Kim snorted. "I'd like to see you play me at chess."

"Maybe later. Right now, head back to your base."

As she followed his command, she let her mind wander. The route back to Shego's apartment was ingrained in her. When Ron was kidnapped she had, without asking, taken up residence again with her surly friend. Shego was the first to deny it, but she was indeed happy about the reversion.

"I'm back." Kim hollered as she opened the front door.

From her spot lounging on the couch, Shego grunted as she sat up. "How'd you do?"

"Your tip about keeping my elbows close really helped. I kicked soo many asses."

"How many asses did you kick?" Shego played along, even as she fought a yawn.

"Soo many!" Kim paraded to the couch and thwopped down next to Shego. "But it's driving me crazy. They just don't understand!"

"You'll get him back."

"I don't doubt that." Kim snuggled closer and Shego lassoed Kim's shoulders with her arm. "But in what condition? If we don't do something soon…"

"He's going to be fine." Shego promised, even as her mind flitted to other possibilities. With so little information on the stolen statues, and less information on what Montgomery Fiske was planning, it was pointless to worry Kim further.

"I hope so." Kim kissed Shego's neck and closed her eyes.

|x|x|x|

Ron's head drooped against his chest and then lolled to the side. He managed to pry one eye open.

"Why are you still clinging to your idiotic story, boy?" Fiske paced before him. "You'd make this much easier on yourself if you simply told the truth."

"Is trufe." Ron prattled. He paused a moment, then spat out a line of bloody drool. "It's the truth."

"I've spoken to my associates. There is no H.O.M.E. There are only nosy individuals asking too many questions."

"Not yet!" Ron mustered up the last of his enthusiasm, fixating on the hope that if he could sell his product, he could buy his freedom. "But give us a few months and we should be up and running."

"I'm not falling for your prattle."

Ron's head fell back down. "Please let me go. I won't tell anyone about your monkeys. Or, you know, about this."

Fiske laughed harshly. "That's not an option, boy. We both know you'd go straight to those pesky officers of justice."

"Uhnn…" The figure chained next to Ron slowly meandered back towards consciousness. Blood was caked on the man's uniform and skin.

"Oh, Dash, how nice of you to join us." Fiske cackled. "Though I must say your brothers-in-arms are being quite rude."

Ron swiveled his head away from the brutal mess beside Dash. Fiske had yet to be that rough with him, a fact for which Ron was grateful. After Ron had stumbled upon the secret room and made it clear that the authorities were indeed tracking Fiske's actions, Fiske had wasted no time punishing those he held accountable for the shoddy work.

"Wassit?" Dash strained his neck muscles until his head was upright.

"Your menial attempts at speech are akin to your performance in life!" Fiske nearly spat on the broken man in front of him as he raged.

Ron bit his tongue as the verbal barrage continued and concentrated his attention on the opposite wall. The previous day he'd tried to talk Fiske out of the imminent violence – this had ended only with Fiske turning his anger on Ron – and Ron learned his lesson quickly. All he could do now was hope that Fiske lost interest, or that help arrived.

Just as quickly as he began, Fiske cooled back into his brisk and well-manicured demeanor. "Consider this, boys – you can either be penitent and helpful, or dead." With that, he whisked away and left Dash and Ron to enjoy each other's company.

"You okay?" Ron whispered. Although they were alone, he didn't trust Fiske to not be eavesdropping or returning.

Dash tilted his head so his dull eyes could narrow on Ron. "Do… I look… okay?"

"Not really." Ron found that he was turning into someone who didn't sugarcoat things. "But, listen, if we can just keep quiet and not anger him, people will be coming for us. I'm sure of it."

Dash wrinkled his nose. "People are coming for you, not me. Any person who'd break me outta here would just throw me back in the clink."

"So you'd rather die down here."

Both men darted uncontrollable glances at the pile of unmoving flesh in the corner. Dash shook his head vehemently.

"I didn't say that."

"At least my way we stand a chance." Ron argued, his tone low and hissing. "Keep your head down and don't provoke him."

"I'll try." Dash let his head drop again and Ron found himself looking at a truly beaten man.

"Good. Kim and everyone should be here soon." Ron thought back to the device in his pocket. He hadn't pinged, so they should know that his position was compromised. They were on their way, he was sure.

|x|x|x|

"Kim."

"Mf."

"Kim."

Kim curled against the source of warmth nearby and buried her head into the blankets. "What?"

"Your communicator is dingling."

"I don't care."

Shego tickled Kim's sides with finger purposely much hotter than normal. Kim squealed with pleasure and sat up.

"Don't be so childish." Shego ordered, trying to look cross.

"They can't just send me on missions to distract me. I won't be distracted. I'm undistractable."

"Fine. But answer the damn phone."

Kim stuck her tongue out and tromped to the device. "Kim."

"We need you to stop a shipment."

Her face twisted into a grimace. "What about Ron?"

"This is related." Wade promised. "The crate's final destination is Fiske's manor. If we can stop it, we can get a better idea of what he's up to."

"And meanwhile Ron is just rotting away in there."

"We don't know what sort of defenses he has!" Wade finally reached his breaking point. Kim wasn't sure before if Wade could actually get angry, but she truly believed he could now. "If we go barreling in, guns blazing, we could be walking into a damn trap! I refuse to let us go down for one man when we can still get him out if we're just smart about it."

Quiet a moment, Kim hung her head and nodded. "Send me the details and I'll get the shipment."

"Thank you."

They disconnected and Kim looked back at Shego's passive face. "What would you do?"

"What I would do and what I'd recommend you do are completely different things."

"What would you do?" Kim repeated.

"Didn't we already go through this whole I'm not helping you be a hero thing?" Shego snorted.

"This is different. This is Ron's life on the line."

Shego bristled, but had to admit Kim had a point. "Fine. I'd hire someone well versed in scouting and secrecy. He'd get a good look at where I wanted to go, and then I'd go in with it already mapped out for me."

"Do you know anyone that could get in the manor?"

"Maybe." Shego sighed. Part of her wondered how many of her contacts she'd have to reveal before her contact with Kim was finished. _All of them_, she thought sardonically, _if I want to stay with her. Kim just won't take no as an answer._ "I'll give her a call."

Her decision was rewarded with a peck of joy from Kim, and the image of Kim skipping away with a grin. Shego rubbed the back of her neck and accepted her payment.

|x|x|x|

Kim hung around in the shadows as crate after crate was wheeled past her. Nothing so far matched the description she was given and she was beginning to give up hope. The shipment must have already gone through. She shifted her weight from foot to foot and let her resolve harden. She wouldn't give up if this would help Ron.

"Last one!" A gruff worker wheeled it past her.

Kim's face lit up – it was the crate she wanted. It was heading towards one of the few trucks with its backdoors open. Once she was sure of its destination, she threw a few pebbles in the other direction and snuck into the truck bed while the workers were distracted.

"What was that?"

"Dunno. Get that loaded up so I can go."

Kim could feel her fingers twitching with excitement. This was working out perfectly. And then the back of the truck shut with the crate outside and herself inside.

"Wait, wait, wait."

"What now?"

"Special orders on this one. Gotta keep it here and then special deliver it on its own."

Kim nearly began thrashing against the truck. But if she were to be discovered, she'd have no valid excuse as to why she was in the truck to begin with. She went to the boxes stacked around her and found one labeled fragile. Whispering an apology, she pushed it. It clattered loudly to the ground, the truck was opened again, and she darted out unseen.

Yet by the time she was free, the crate she was after was gone again. She scouted around but found no trace of where it had been stored.

|x|x|x|

Yori crouched behind a row of bushes while a string of monkeys strolled past her position. She pulled a paper out of her satchel and sketched the area around her. So far she hadn't run into much security, unless the constant flow of monkeys was the security. In that case, Fiske had a great deal of security.

She waited until it was clear and then snuck along to the nearest open door. Once inside she clung to the walls, out of sight. A few times she did take note of discrete video cameras, whose positions she labeled on her burgeoning map. She nearly ran into Fiske as he patrolled his property, but managed to remain out of sight.

After mapping everything she could find, she sought out Fiske. Years of training had taught her to tail important people, because not everything was available to the naked eye. Her patience paid off when Fiske pulled on a light fixture and the floor opened up. She kept close to him and nearly gasped at what she found – but thankfully her training took over.

"Boys, your time is nearly up." Fiske announced.

Ron and Dash sagged against their restraints. It had been days since they had last seen Fiske, so it had been days since they'd eaten or had anything to drink. It disappointed them to see that Fiske held nothing in his hands but a small box.

"Do you know what's in here?" Fiske shook the box and stared at Ron.

"No idea sir." Despite his quiet voice, Ron made steady eye contact with the villain.

"You?"

Dash shook his head silently.

"This, dear boys, is the final piece of the puzzle." Fiske opened the box and pulled out the third monkey statue. "With this statue, I can finally receive the magical monkey powers promised to me by my ancestors."

Ron struggled at his restraints as soon as Fiske turned his back. From her vantage point, Yori could see the bright red marks on his wrists that suggested he'd been struggling for days. She crept as close as she could, without being seen. When she was sure Fiske would see her, she slipped into Ron's view. His motions ceased but his eyes darted to Fiske and back to her face.

Shego's orders had been clear: Get in, map it, and get out. But she found that she couldn't bring herself to leave the two beaten men to their fates while Fiske went on about his ultimate powers.

"The statue is in place." Fiske announced. He turned by to his captive audience and spread his arms wide. "You are about to witness my ascension."

The next few phrases out of his mouth were in another language, one that neither Ron nor Yori could understand. The eyes of each monkey statue began to glow. In the middle of all the statues, a bright light began to gyrate and flicker. Fiske bowed to his captives and turned to watch the spectacle.

Yori used this opportunity to slip over to Ron and Dash. Using the edge of one her shuriken, she picked the locks holding them in place. Ron grabbed Dash around the waist and she lifted up Dash's trailing arm. She flicked her eyes to the passageway and Ron understood. They walked as fast as they could without making noise. Fiske paid little attention to the noises behind him, writing it off as his prisoners struggling.

He stepped into the light.

|x|x|x|

"We can't just let him take all that power." Ron panted and argued as they ran for the exit. "He'll end up destroying the city. I've heard all of his rants. This can't be good!"

Yori shook her head. "We get out. We can always come back. But if he catches you again, you won't get a second chance."

Dash stumbled and they picked him back up in unison. When they reached the edge of the property, Ron shoved Dash's full weight on Yori and shook his head.

"Get him to safety. I have to go back."

Yori clung to Dash so that the bigger man wouldn't fall and cursed at Ron's back. Ron dashed back into the manor, through the hallways, and down into the secret area. When he arrived, the monkeys were still aglow. Fiske sat in the center of the light, floating. Ron weighed his options; he could either knock one of the statues down and hope to break it (and hope that breaking it would break the ritual) or he could knock Fiske out of the light and hope that would break the ritual.

The version that didn't involve getting near the lights appealed to him most. He ran at the nearest statue and picked it up. The light began to slide up his arms. _Oh come on,_ he thought, _not this glowing crap._ It swirled around his body and infiltrated his mouth. He started gagging at the thought of it choking him, but his airways remained open. Desperate to get rid of the light, he threw the statue as hard as he could at the floor. It shattered on impact.

Fiske remained in his trance. Determined still, Ron went to the other two statues and trashed each of them. The light in the center remained, though at the destruction of each one, the light traveled along Ron's body and down his throat. With his options run out, Ron charged towards Fiske. Before he could reach the glowing center, however, every light went out, including the magical emanation.

Fiske's laughter shook him to the bone.

"At last!" Fiske crowed. "The ultimate power is mine!"

Before the lights could come back and give him away, Ron realized that his mission was now pointless, and ran for freedom.

|x|x|x|

"And you're sure that you're okay?" Kim clung to his arms as he finished his story for the third time.

He shrugged. "I feel okay. I just don't know what that light stuff was. Doesn't seem to have affected me, or whatever."

"Any idea what it did to Fiske?"

"He said something like magical monkey hoodoo."

Kim hugged him tightly, aware that both Shego and Yori were watching their interactions closely. "New plan, Ronald. We work together from now on. No going off on solo missions. Got it?"

Ron shook his head. "Yori offered to teach me some of her ninja stuff. No offence to you or Shego, but butt kicking isn't really my style. But maybe Yori can make sure I don't get kidnapped again."

"It does happen a lot." Shego snorted.

"Never again." Ron promised. He rubbed Kim's back. "But we'll still work together whenever we can, right?"

Kim nodded.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Stressful things in life tend to roam in packs. If things get bumpy update-wise, my apologies. My mom is moving, my dad is getting divorced, I'm looking for a new place to live... Excuses, excuses, I know.


	17. Chapter 17

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language.

**Apologies **are in order. I didn't mean to let this slip for two weeks. But! I graduate tomorrow afternoon. Hell yeah, German degree.

* * *

><p>Chapter 17<p>

In Which a Side Kick Finds His Way

The sun straddled the horizon like a cowboy preparing to ride a bull. Tension in the city had only increased when Montgomery Fiske, under the pseudonym Monkey Fist, had released a video to every active news station declaring himself the city's newest leader. Worse than that, however, was his inclusion of footage of him torturing one of the freshly returned superheroes.

"Let that be a warning," his face veered onto the screen, "to any and all challengers. This is monkey law."

Kim had wanted to groan at the sheer idiocy of calling it that, but her stomach was still rolling from what she had witnessed. Most stations had chosen to only air portions of the tape, but she had pieced together the majority of his message by flipping channels and surfing the web.

"This isn't good." She prodded Shego's side to make the other woman pay attention. Shego grunted. "Seriously."

"So take him down."

"It's not that simple."

Shego rolled her eyes before shutting them once more. She and Kim definitely had different views on problem solving. The redheaded hero preferred searching for multiple angles, thinking things through – but in Shego's experience it was often best to take the simplest, best idea as soon as possible. Although, and she could hear Kim's voice in her head scolding her, how was she to know what was the best idea until she'd thought through all possibilities. Shego smiled unconsciously.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You scolding me." Shego answered honestly. Her grin widened.

"I'm not scolding you."

"You are in my head."

Kim faked a pout. "If I'm scolding you, you should at least look chastened."

"I'm an untameable spirit. But good try."

"What was I scolding you about?"

"It's not really that important." Shego responded. She realized then that she wasn't going to be able to take her nap and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "Do you have any idea where he's camped out?"

Kim, proud of her deductive reasoning skills, pointed to the muted television screen. "They're playing it again. And again. But it's given me a chance to examine the room in which it was filmed. The walls are nice."

"So?"

"You'd think a criminal would hang somewhere… I don't know. Dirty. Broken down. Away from convenience, away from police interference." Kim pondered. "So that tells me he's used to living comfortably."

"And that he's unafraid of any challenge." Shego mused. "He's bold and brash."

"It looks like he's somewhere that he expects no interruption. So not a hotel, or even somewhere another person inhabits."

"Nobody did come into the room, even with all that screaming."

Kim grimaced. She buried her face into Shego's shoulder. "I can't believe he'd stoop to that level."

"You heard Ron, just like I did. He didn't have any problem killing those other criminals after they failed him."

"No matter where he is, he cannot win." Kim vowed. "We just got rid of one insane maniac. And it wasn't just so that a worse one could step up."

Shego pulled her into a hug. "If anyone can do it, you can."

Kim flexed her bicep. Although her strength had become commonplace to her, sometimes it did still astound her how powerful she was. "I'm going to need help."

Shego kissed her, if only to avoid that conversation. Kim drew back a moment later and shook her head.

"Shego, you can't just kiss your way out of talking about this."

"I thought we already agreed I wasn't going to do the hero thing."

"If caring about the welfare of the city and wanting to avoid bloodshed makes you a hero, then I'm sorry – I can't accept your disinterest."

Even as Shego wrinkled her nose distastefully, she thought through Kim's words. "Look, I'm not saying I want the city to suffer. I'm just saying that I want to keep my nose out of things that will only get me in trouble."

"I'd appreciate it." Kim whipped out her full blown pout, complete with pleading arms and laced begging fingers.

"I can't promise anything." Shego muttered softly. "But if you really need me, I'll think about it."

Knowing this was the best she would get for the time being, Kim nestled back against her. "How do you think Ron's doing?"

"With Yori? Probably crying his eyes out right about now."

"Bet he's not!" Kim shot back. "He's tougher than you'd think."

"You asked what I thought and I answered."

"I guess…"

"And I'm right."

In order to silence further silliness, Kim tackled Shego down into the couch.

|x|x|x|

Ron wanted badly to scratch the inner of his thigh. Yet the peace of the room kept him from budging from his position. He knew his knees would be immensely sore when he was released, but for now he tried to concentrate on clearing his mind.

"The first step to self control is to know one's mind." Yori spoke in muted tones so as to not disturb him.

He took in a deep breath and released it slowly. He imagined all the tension in his body slipping out on his exhalation. "I am at peace."

"Maybe not now," Yori averred, "but soon. It is not always easy to meditate. Unwelcome thoughts, pain, itches…"

Ron blushed scarlet, his freckles blending for once into his skin tone. "I will get better."

"I know." Yori gestured that he should stand, and restrained her smile when he stumbled on the way up. "But remember that a ninja does not disappear, he merely stills himself to match his environment."

"And camouflage like that can save your life." Ron intoned after her. Despite his tone, he took her words seriously. He never wanted to get kidnapped again.

"Very good. Let's begin with the basic exercises I taught you yesterday."

Ron went through the motions she instructed. He tried his hardest, but found that more often than not, she corrected his stance and the manner in which his fist was clutched. She guided him through a slow routine of punches and kicks. Eventually she engaged him in a slow combat. At least three times he ended up on his rear on the floor, but she kept encouraging him until he no longer fell for long.

"You may take a rest now." Yori's voice was even and calm, a status that Ron wished for dearly. His own heart was racing and his breath came in short desperate puffs.

"It gets easier, doesn't it?"

"Yes, after a few years of practice."

"I don't have years." Ron's body clenched with anxiety. "Things are happening now. I need to be ready now."

Yori shook her head. "The best you can hope for now is to be tactical support. This does not come naturally to you, and we cannot force it. There is no short cut to success, only practice."

Ron flopped to the ground and onto his back. The ceiling of Yori's training dojo was bland and offered no advice.

"Kim learned quickly." He complained, though he hated himself for it.

"Kim was also supercharged with new powers. Her skills probably come in part from that. Anything other than that is innate ability. Are there things that you are better at that, that she struggles with?"

"Cooking." He sighed. "Business."

"Well there you go."

"I just wish my skills were more useful."

Though she was unused to providing comfort, she smiled at him and reached down. He took her hand and her help to stand up.

"You will learn, Ron Stoppable, that your skills are just different, not useless."

|x|x|x|

One of the changes in her life that Shego had grown to appreciate was the addition of Kim to her bed at night. Though their relationship hadn't quite turned from simple kisses and a few wandering hands, she liked the cool skin pressed against her back whenever she awoke.

"You asleep yet?" Kim murmured. Her arms around Shego tightened.

"Not yet." Shego responded. She'd never imagined herself a little spoon, but found the position quite desirable after a few nights. "Why?"

"I dunno."

"You do know, Princess, otherwise you wouldn't have pestered me."

"Don't pester." Kim argued.

"No, you don't."

"Mm."

Shego chuckled. "Go back to sleep, Kimmie."

"Mm." Kim rubbed her nose against Shego's back.

"Good night."

"Love you."

Shego froze at Kim's admission. _Kim was sleepy_, she told herself, _and couldn't possibly mean it_. Unable to calm her heart back down, Shego rolled over to face the slumbering hero. She tapped her fingertip on Kim's nose.

"What?"

Kim blinked blearily. "Huh?"

"What did you just say?"

"Said love you."

"And you meant it?"

Kim nodded, unsure of why Shego was so puzzled. "Doy?"

"But we haven't even, you know – and it hasn't been that long."

"So?" Kim yawned. "Don't mean I can't know it."

"What if I can't say it back?"

"When you're ready."

"What if I'm never ready?"

"My turn." Kim tapped Shego's nose. "Stop talking."

Doing as she was commanded, Shego's teeth clacked together. She pulled Kim into her arms and kissed Kim fiercely. Delighted, Kim returned the embrace, deepening the kiss and sliding her hands down to Shego's waist and, ultimately, lower.

|x|x|x|

Betty watched the clips over again, her fingers twitching more with each view. The nerve of Go City's newest villain super power astounded her. She skipped quickly through the scenes of torture. Her first viewing had brought her to tears – it had been her doing that had lured the superhero to the city, so it felt as though it was her fault that he was now dead.

But her emotions quickly darkened to anger. Anger she could use. There was a madman out there threatening the ones working for peace and happiness. This could not go on much longer. She spun in her chair to view the wall behind her. Earlier that day, Will had tacked a city map up for her, and she had pressed red thumbtacks into possible hideouts. Fiske was out there, and she was going to find him.

"Betty, you've got a call." Will hollered from the other room.

"You've reached Betty Director." Betty spoke quickly, although she was grateful for a distraction. "What can I do for you?"

"I have a lead, I think." Wade wasted no time. "One of my contacts from the old days told me that he recently rented a property to a suspicious figure. Of course, you can never be sure with my old crowd what suspicious really means."

Betty got up and walked to the map. "Paranoids?"

"Basically. This fellow is about as paranoid as they come. Which is why he contacted me. He saw that video and flipped. If his hunch is good, that guy is using the property as a headquarters. And now he's sure that guy is going to double-cross him and kill him to hide his tracks."

"Doesn't seem too farfetched." Betty commented. "Where is the property?"

"I couldn't get him to quite tell me clearly." Wade snorted. "Old habits die hard with some of these guys. But he told me it was on the north side, somewhere near the train station."

Betty stared at the three red pins that fit Wade's description. Three places were better than the close to thirty she had previously been facing. Her heart clenched – the last time there had been three places to search, Ron had been compromised. There would be no such mistakes this time.

"I'll contact Kim." Wade offered.

"Do that."

When they disconnected, Betty stared back at her wall, wiling it to give her a simple answer. None came.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Things in real life are almost settled back down. I promise this project will come to a close and will not be left hanging.


	18. Chapter 18

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language.

* * *

><p>Chapter 18<p>

In Which Actions are Taken

Ron braced himself against the back wall his heart pounding harder than he thought was possible. A few feet from his position Yori balanced on one foot, her hands pressed palm to palm in front of her. She even had the gall to keep her eyes closed.

"Try again, Ron-san."

He straightened. "You'll just deflect me again."

"Then change your strategy."

Although he wanted to argue that he'd already changed his strategy several times, each with the same result, he merely settled into a horse stance and drew several deep breaths. The goal of this exercise was to land even a single blow on Yori. He had yet to come close – but this attempt felt different from the last. He leaned forward on his left foot, like a runner preparing for the opening gunshot.

"Whenever you're ready."

Ron settled his expression into a grim line of determination. He sprinted towards his target, dodged her swiping kick, and ducked up towards her ribcage. Her fist came slamming down at his back, but he twisted lithely out of the way. Tasting victory, he swung his fist with wild abandon.

When he awoke, he was plastered to the floor on the opposite side of the room. Yori was at his side, smiling with either compassion or pity – he wasn't entirely sure which. Swallowing his disappointment he accepted her help to his feet.

"I think you're ready." She patted his back.

Taken aback, his eyes widened. "Ready? For what?"

"Your quest."

"I have a quest."

"Yes, you do. It's a part of training with me." Yori guided him from the room and down to a room he hadn't seen before. "You will spend the night in here alone and silent. You will meditate on what drives you until sunrise."

"But I didn't hit you."

"The point was not to hit me, Ron-san; it was to resolve to hit me."

Sometimes Ron felt as if he'd never understand the women in his life. He gave her a grim grin and nodded.

"So I sit in here and think? That's some quest."

"In the morning I will send you out into the woods. There is an object hidden out there for you to find. When you bring it back to me, then your quest will be completed."

Ron pumped his fist in the air, "I love geo-caching!"

"Sure." Yori nodded agreeably. "Are you prepared to start?"

"Do I really have a choice?"

"Either way, you will leave this dojo in the morning. Either with my blessing or without it."

Ron grimaced. "Then yes, I'm ready. No dinner?"

"No breakfast, as well."

His stomach nearly growled in protest, but he clapped a hand over it and nodded. "Then let me think in peace."

She left him kneeling on a mat near the window. A slight chill was in the air, but he ignored it and calmed his mind. It was going to be a long night, but he was going to think things through.

|x|x|x|

Kim fought a giggle. Shego tickled the bottoms of her feet ever so slightly as Kim talked on the phone, and it was more than a little distracting.

"Yes, Betty, I agree. We should move on this as quickly as possible."

"So you're in?"

"Yes. I can't- stop that!"

"What?"

"Er… nothing." A giggle burst past her lips. "I can't sit idly by while our heroes are getting massacred."

"Even if it puts you at personal risk?"

"Of course." Kim batted at Shego's fingertips uselessly. The green villain chuckled and increased her efforts. Betty had to wait as Kim got herself under control.

"I hope you don't find this situation funny, Ms. Possible."

"I don't!" Delivering a final angry smack, Kim pulled away from Shego's grasp and straightened. "This is very serious and I will deal with it seriously."

"Good. We want no… mistakes this time."

"None will be made."

"We have three possible locations. I'd rather we didn't split up on this one. But we do risk causing Fiske to move if we get the wrong place first."

"Perhaps a stakeout?" Kim suggested. "Watch each place for a day and choose whichever one seems the fishiest."

"I have men doing that right now while I round up volunteers."

"Who's agreed so far?" Kim glanced at Shego, but was unmoved by the other woman's attempt at a mournful pout.

"Yourself, of course, and Melodious Man. I've been trying to find Ronald, but we can't seem to locate the boy."

"Nobody else?"

"You have to understand how afraid they are. Fiske has sent back packages of—well, you can imagine." Betty's voice trembled, but Kim figured it was anger and not fear that caused it.

"I can."

Shego felt Kim's eyes drilling into her and she relented. She had to admit – Fiske was getting wildly out of control. Even she was disturbed by the level of violence he was displaying. With a stiff nod of her head, she answered Kim's silent question.

"Shego has agreed to help out." Kim couldn't keep the relief from her voice. It was mirrored in Betty's response.

"That's fantastic. I'll have Wade send you the mission information within the hour."

"Great." Kim tossed her communicator to the side and stared at Shego. "Why'd you change your mind?"

Shego leaned forward to tickle Kim's feet once more. "Because he's not doing crime right."

"There's a right way to do something wrong?" Kim's laughter was split evenly between the tickling and her question.

"Doy." Shego averred. "The right way is still with honor."

"The honorable thief."

"I wasn't born a bad guy."

"I know."

"I could make you into a bad girl, though."

"Why, Shego, that's saucy of you." Kim batted her eyelashes. "But that's going to have to wait. We have to find Ron."

Shego held back her groan. The blond sidekick was the least of her concerns, but she could understand Kim's desire to find him. She shrugged. "I'll see if I can contact Yori. She can be elusive."

"Please get on that."

|x|x|x|

Ron stumbled through the thick woods. He fell against a nearby tree, scratching his palms and he tried to regain his balance. Through the foliage, only the slightest bits of light filtered through. He was hungry, exhausted, and losing hope. After five hours of trying to find his way, he was despondent. Attempts at returning to Yori empty handed had also ended in failure.

A tree root caught his foot and he fell to his knees, wincing as the underbrush cut up his legs. He slumped forward and heaved a few hard breaths. _It would have helped_, he thought with frustration building up in his chest, _if Yori had at least told me what I was looking for._

"It comes down to resolve." Yori's voice echoed through his head. "Are you prepared to do what is necessary?"

He wrinkled his nose. She'd be disappointed in him if he couldn't complete this task. She'd believed in him and now he was just lying in the dirt. He shut his eyes and worked up the energy to move.

"I won't give up." He promised the voice in his head. He was ready – resolved, in fact. Straining his arms, he pushed himself up to his knees and finally to his feet.

"Follow your instincts." The voice responded.

_I can do that,_ he thought and wandered in the direction that felt right.

|x|x|x|

"So you haven't seen him?"

"He's been gone for approximately seven hours." Yori explained. "He'll be back when he's ready."

"But you can't get a message to him?"

"He's completely on his own."

Kim winced as the conversation blared over speakerphone. She let Shego do the talking, if only to think it through. It seemed like an exceptionally bad idea to make Ron 'quest' by himself. If his previous experiences were anything to judge him by, he did terribly on his own. He needed support and rescue.

Shego laughed. "I hope that goes better for him now."

"I believe in him, as should you. Ron-san is not the klutz you remember."

"It's only been a week." Kim snapped back. "How much could you have taught him?"

"I did not teach him much more than to trust himself." Yori kept her tone non-confrontational. "Do not take this personally, but he has been taught that you will always rescue him. He must be forced to rely on himself to understand that he can do so at will."

"I just don't think he'd be ready in a week."

"I did."

Shego rubbed Kim's shoulder. "We might as well trust her, Kimmie. She's the ninja, remember?"

Kim grunted and settled back. "I guess."

"I will pass on the invitation if Ron-san reappears by the end of the night." Yori promised. "And I pledge my assistance as well if it is required."

"That'd be swell." Shego responded. "Give us a call if you find him."

"Will do."

As the conversation ended, Kim tapped a few buttons on the screen and sent the mission information to Yori. Shego watched Kim's hasty motions and sighed. She reached over and snagged Kim's tense arms, dragging Kim into her lap.

"Relax, Kim." Shego whispered. "He's probably fine out there."

"You don't know Ron like I do."

"I think I know him pretty well, actually, and you should give him some credit. Also, try giving Yori some. She wouldn't just let him die out there."

"I don't know that." Kim pouted.

"You do that so much better than I do." Shego teased, trying to change the subject.

"I've had years of practice."

Shego tickled her ribs cautiously until giggles erupted from Kim's face. With the redhead mood's shifting, Shego eased back and grinned.

"Who would have thought, the hero and the villain cuddled up like two bugs in a rug."

"I think you should rethink calling yourself a villain." Kim suggested. "Why not supreme nasty not-right dooer?"

"That does have a nice ring to it."

"But seriously, have you put any more thought into maybe not committing any further crimes?"

Shego slouched. "How will I support myself?"

"I could support you."

"That's moving a little too fast for me, Princess. And I'd never want someone else to have to support me."

"But I could!"

"I don't want you to."

"Maybe you could put your disguise on every day?"

"That's stifling and risky."

"Keep thinking about it?" Kim leaned in close, her lips a scant centimeter from Shego's.

"For you, anything." Shego yielded. "Now come here."

Kim, too, yielded. She moved towards her target and slid her arms behind Shego's neck. She nipped playfully at Shego's lips until the green woman parted them. Feeling that Kim was getting too dominant, Shego tickled Kim's sides again until Kim pulled back and allowed Shego to pursue.

Shego pushed Kim down against the couch and trapped Kim's arms with her knees as she slid her tongue across Kim's lips. Kim moaned quietly and struggled to get her hands free. With a bit of finagling, she got her left one out and caressed Shego's back. She tugged on Shego's t-shirt and the thief gladly allowed her to tug it off. As Kim's fingers tugged impatiently on Shego's bra, the communicator jangled.

"Get it later." Shego commanded, her voice husky.

"Okay."

It rang three times and then went silent, only to ring again a moment later. This happened twice more before Shego called off her attack.

"Fine. Answer the damn thing."

Kim groaned and reached to where the communicator had slid between the cushions. "What do you want?"

"Am I interrupting something?" Betty's impatient voice demanded.

"I answered, didn't I?"

"We're preparing to move."

Kim stiffened. "Where? Why?"

"The second property. My men saw a monkey crossing past one of the windows approximately half an hour ago. This is all the verification we need at this point. We need to move before he can prepare."

"We'll be ready in a few minutes."

|x|x|x|

Yori stared at the building before their small group. She felt an awful lot like how Hollywood portrayed S.W.A.T. units. Each member was dressed in snug black clothing with Kevlar vests protecting their chests and backs. She insisted that she didn't need one, but her complaints fell on deaf ears. Betty wanted to take no chances, which Yori understood, even if she didn't like how constricting the garb was.

Kim gathered them into a tight huddle. "As soon as Betty sends us the signal, we're all to enter as quickly and quietly as possible. If you run into any sort of resistance, you must take it down. Not one word of our arrival is allowed to spread."

"Obviously." Shego snorted. "Like we wanted a welcoming party, am I right?"

The rest of the group favored her with a terse look. She threw her hands up in front of her body and shrugged.

"Melodious Man, you and Yori will take the rear of the building. Shego and I will enter the front. The goal of the evening is to incapacitate Montgomery Fiske. We do not know where he'll be in the building, or where he's keeping any hostages. If you come across any hostages, tell them to keep quiet and usher them to somewhere safe – but that's not necessarily outside the building."

Shego had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "Kim, we all got the mission briefing."

Melodious Man glared at her. "I was appreciating the recap. It never hurts to make sure everyone is on the same page."

"Stop arguing." Yori requested. "Otherwise we will fail before we even begin."

Shego conceded that point, nodded, and waited for Kim to finish up. The communicator buzzed, and Kim waved everyone on to their starting positions. Watching Yori disappear into the shadows, Kim glided as close to a first floor window as she could. Shego followed her, a little less stressed about being visible. Before Kim could angrily tug her out of view, Shego ducked down.

"Master thief, remember?" She hissed. "I think I know a little bit about what I'm doing."

"Well excuse me for wanting this to go off safely and successfully."

Shego wanted badly to retort back in their usual style of banter, but something told her that Kim was less than receptive at the moment. She sulked backwards to skulk in the bushes. Moments later, Kim popped the lock on the window and slid it up noiselessly. When she snuck inside, Shego was just inches behind her. The house felt eerily empty.

"They couldn't have known we were coming, right?" Kim whispered.

"They shouldn't have, anyways."

A creak from the hallway silenced them and they crept towards the noise. Kim peeked opened the door a crack and peered out. A monkey stalked past her in the garb of a traditional British palace guard. If the situation were less dire, Kim would have found their furry hats, scaled down to size, entertaining.

When the coast was clear, Kim signaled through an elaborate hand motion that Shego should move forward. Together, they entered the hallway and found another secure hiding spot should another guard come round. Room after room they checked was empty. Frustrated, Kim bit down onto her knuckle.

"Shh." Shego muttered. "He's here somewhere."

"Kim, you there?"

"I've got you Melodious Man." Kim responded under her breath.

"We've found a cache of hostages. Most are in pretty bad shape."

"How far from the exit are you?"

"We're down in, I guess what you could call a dungeon."

"Nowhere safe nearby?"

"Not that I see. We need to take Fiske down before we can help them."

"Tell them to be quiet?"

"Already done."

"Good."

Kim twisted to Shego and motioned for the other woman to check the doorway directly to their left. Shego peeked into it and flashed three fingers at Kim. Intrigued, Kim scooted closer and looked for herself. The signal of three fingers stood for a secret passageway, and at first Kim saw nothing. But then, as her eyes adjusted to the dark of the closet space, she saw the lining of what could only be a false panel.

Shego pried it forward and smiled. "Ladies first."

Kim curtsied and pushed past her. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Thanks for sticking with me thus far. We can't be too far from the end.


	19. Chapter 19

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language.

* * *

><p>Chapter 19<p>

In Which The End Occurs

As far as plans went, Fiske was quite sure his was a winner. He'd seen some terrible ones from his colleagues in the evil-doing business, most notably from his predecessor Drakken. He'd learned from their mistakes, of that he was sure.

"Alpha."

A monkey dropped from the ceiling to his side and saluted.

"Have the preparations been taken care of?"

"Ih." The monkey nodded and saluted again.

"This is precisely why one must never rely on the faulty functioning of the dismal human mind." Fiske commented as he turned to the touch screen directly to his left. "Which is precisely why I have been updated beyond the grasp of human understanding."

Alpha chirped a question.

"No, Alpha, I have no further use for you at this time. Adjourn."

Using the tip of his finger, Fiske flipped through files. One was the blueprints for Go City Hall, the next a how-to guide on building home explosives. He had briefed himself over and over on the events of the next few days, but he wanted to remain sure. One misstep and he'd be sharing a cell with half-brained miscreants in the city's jail. If he was lucky enough, they'd kill him. Even that was preferable to the company he'd find amongst Go City's social rejects.

At precisely 9:15 a.m. he would arrive on the steps of Go City Hall, precisely fifteen minutes after the mayor began a speech addressing the current rise in crime. He would his explosives planted nearby, which he would detonate for effect. Nearby citizens would doubtless be caught in the debris, but their deaths were necessary decorations for his ascension.

"They will fear me at first." Fiske chuckled, flexing his hands. "But soon, they will give me their loyalty. And if they don't…"

Summoning his concentration, Fiske raised his fist up to be on level with his gaze. It erupted into blue flames as his laughter filled the room.

|x|x|x|

"Shh."

Kim waved a hand at Shego, who could barely contain her giggles. Fiske's monologing had apparently tickled the green-skinned woman's funny bone, but it was hardly the time to give away their position.

"I can't help it." Shego whispered. "He's ridiculous."

"Shh!"

When Shego tried to speak again, Kim put her finger against Shego's lips. The intimate motion was enough to generate silence. Shego knew the sudden increase in her heart beat was not from the anticipation that she felt towards beating Fiske's gourd in, but from the simple touch from Kim. That alone was reason to be quiet.

It quickly became clear that the rest of the squad was otherwise occupied in the house. Kim delivered hushed orders that they were to let no creature escape, primate or otherwise. When backsassed with the question of whether to allow flies free exit, she merely snorted and closed her connection.

"Are you finally ready?" Shego raised her eyebrows expectantly. Kim nodded. "Well, good, then let's get this show on the road. There are things I'd rather be doing with my life right now."

As Shego cast her eyes down Kim's form, Kim knocked Shego's shoulder impatiently. "Save the flirting for later. Seriously!"

With a final derisive snort, Shego kicked down the door behind which they had hid. Fiske whipped around, his face painted into an expression of pained surprise. The ferocity that had previously lit his fist ablaze faltered.

"You two!" He shook his head and clenched his fist until the flames returned with a ferocity that was lacking before. "Alpha! Execute plan Gamma Gamma."

Alpha dropped from the ceiling, followed by six of his compatriots. Kim nodded at Shego and the two split up – Kim after Fiske and Shego into the fray of monkeys. Pouncing forward, Kim slung her fist up towards Fiske, but the man leapt lithely back.

"So it comes down to this." Fiske laughed. "I thought it might, so I have prepared."

Kim studied the stance that Fiske adopted and grinned. Her style was solid, based on firm motions and follow-through. The strength in that was that she was rarely off balance anymore and her hits packed a wallop; however she wasn't as quick as she could be which was only intensified by the freezing feeling in her veins. To counter her, Fiske bounced lightly from foot to foot. He might have a weaker hit than her, but he would land more than she could.

"Seems like you've done your homework." Kim commented. "But that won't be enough to take me down."

"We shall see." Fiske held his hand out, palm up, and curled his fingers several times. "Come. Let us dance."

Yards away, Shego slapped monkey paws from her face. They were weak, it was true, but there were so damned many of them. A part of her, too, was against harming animals. But it seemed that these particular creatures were far from innocent. When one claw ripped into the skin on her cheek, she let out a roar and let a blast of her plasma clear the area around her.

The monkeys darted back and formed a circle around her. They pranced just outside of her range and hooted what she assumed were monkey curses at her. She feigned left and sent out a blast of power to the right. Two monkeys screeched, finding themselves in the center of her attack. One managed to dodge out of the way, but the other wasn't quick enough.

He dropped to the ground – not dead, she hoped, but incapacitated. The remaining six monkeys shrieked in displeasure, but she merely grinned at them. A quick glance at Kim let her know that though her battle was easy, Kim was facing a challenge. She had faith, though, that Kim would pull through.

|x|x|x|

Yori tugged the nearest door open and groaned as another few monkeys jumped out at her. Melodious Man would have laughed, had he not also opened a door and found monkeys. They fought their foes off deftly and shook their heads in unison.

"This is like a fun house," he stated, "but instead of clowns, it is monkeys."

"Unfortunately, your simile is accurate." She stated bluntly.

"Should we attempt to get those hostages out now?"

She shrugged. "Kim and Shego have not given us further orders."

He braced the back of his head with his hands. "I guess I'm not used to this whole hierarchy of power yet. I'm so used to it just being me."

"For now we must await them."

"But they didn't even leave us a contingency plan. Like, if we're not back in thirty minutes, get the hostages out and call for back up."

"What back up?"

"I don't know." He admitted. "But it'd be better than standing around here detaining monkeys."

"If it wasn't important, they wouldn't have asked us to do it."

For a moment he was floored by her sense of duty. He sighed and smiled, deferring to her better judgment.

"I just hope everything is going okay down there."

Though she didn't respond, Yori's hope mirrored his. She slapped a monkey down as it tried to race past her, though her attention had fled. Extending her senses, she tried to figure out if their super friends were managing.

"Hey, bro, you can't come in here."

She blinked and turned to Melodious Man. The hero was barring the nearest entrance the entirety of his bulk.

"Who's trying to get in?" She called, though she had a feeling she knew who it was.

"Yori."

She pulled on Melodious Man to allow Ron entry.

"You got my note?"

"I did." Ron affirmed. He gazed past them into the mansion and nodded. "I can feel her."

"You found it."

"Found what?" Melodious Man interjected. He disliked being the outsider in most situations, especially after his exile had been rescinded.

"Kim will need it soon."

"On my way." Ron saluted and traipsed down the hall, in the general direction of the secret passageway.

"What happened to sticking to the plan?"

Yori shrugged. "Plans change when new elements are added. Ron will do no harm here."

Melodious Man grunted. "Well, if you trust him…

"I do."

"Then I'll have to follow your lead. You're the boss-lady."

|x|x|x|

The feeling of Fiske's fist against her body was growing to be an all too common annoyance. Kim bore it simply because it brought her nemesis in close enough for her to land a blow or two of her own. It was a consolation to see that he was panting too, and evidence of her attacks was blatant on his face.

"How you holding up?" Shego hollered. Despite her early advantage, the monkeys had learned to remain at distance, and always moving. Very little damage had been dealt to either side. Shego was too dangerous to get close to, but the monkeys were too agile to hit.

"Fine." Kim spat out. She pawed at her face to keep sweat from dripping in her eyes. A small trail of blood trickled from her temple, from one of Fiske's luckier strikes. Had this been any other battle, she determined, and Fiske would have been flat on his ass. But there was something different about the villain this time around. It all seemed to come from the glowing. "You?"

"Been better." Shego managed a rather manic chortle. "Best exercise ever, am I right?"

"You're right." Kim ducked a fist that was hurtling at her face and focused once more on her task.

Just as Fiske was going in for what he considered a death blow, Ron tumbled into the room. He stood a moment to grasp the full situation, fought a shudder at the fighting monkeys, and ran to the fringe of Kim's battle.

"You, boy – what are you doing here?" Fiske jived out of reach, a puzzled tone overtaking his voice.

"Yeah, Ron, not that I don't appreciate the support and all, but what…?"

Ron dug into his pocket. "I brought you this!"

Kim stared blankly at him until he tossed it to her. She caught a pinecone in her hands and felt either dumb, or on the outside of an inside joke.

"What's this supposed to do?"

"Yori wrote that you'd know what to do with it."

_Well, I don't,_ Kim thought sarcastically. Rather than give that information to her foe, though, she gripped the pinecone and ran at him.

"What's that?" He asked as he flipped out of the way. "A secret weapon perhaps?"

Kim furrowed her brow. Perhaps that was indeed what it was. She aimed and threw the missile with all her strength. It flew through the air and for a moment it felt like the world had paused. Shego's battle with the monkeys even froze as the pinecone rocketed through the air and shattered against Fiske's head.

Although the hit itself was not particularly damaging, Fiske was distracted just long enough from Kim to swoop in and begin a barrage that left the damaged monkey man unconscious on the floor. Kim reached into her pocket and pulled a zip-tie. It was less official than handcuffs, but much lighter. With Fiske secured, Kim and Ron pulled the last few monkeys off of Shego and subdued each primate.

|x|x|x|

The next day, as each member of the special squad was awarded a medal at the mayor's speech, Kim leaned over to Yori.

"So why was I supposed to know how to use a pinecone?"

Yori gave her a blank look. "A pinecone?"

"Ron brought it with him. Said you told him that I would know how to use it."

"That's what Ron found in the woods?" She started. An exasperated smile spread over her face.

Ron, upon hearing his name, keyed into the conversation. "You never told me what I was looking for."

"So you chose a pinecone?"

He shrugged. "I wasn't very close to reaching any sort of spiritual understanding with the woods, so I panicked. I couldn't come back empty handed. I thought it was supposed to be one of those, you know, learning experiences. Where the goal is personal discovery."

Yori covered her mouth to hide her expression and returned her attention to the crowd before them. The mayor finished his speech and released the heroes unto the city – Shego, with a full pardon, included.

"Ron-san, I believe you require further training." Yori stated plainly.

The five heroes retired to Shego's apartment for a small celebration before their squad was broken up. Ron groaned at the thought, but only as a show. Despite his interest in cooking and business, this business of being a hero had captured him as easily as his earlier enemies had.

"What was I supposed to find?"

"I can't tell you." Yori insisted. "Someday you will have peace and you will know."

Ron had an image of himself flaring up like Fiske had during the final battle and shook his head. "I don't think I want to be like that."

"Some things are unavoidable." Kim averred.

"Like being a damned hero." Shego complained. "And a damn medal, too?"

"Don't you like being loved?" Melodious Man grabbed his own medal and buffed it on his shirt. "I think it feels pretty good."

"I agree." Kim gazed at Shego, who in turn feigned puking.

"This is turning into a yuck-fest." She complained. "Finish your damn celebrating and get the hell out of my home."

Ron, winking at Kim, lassoed his arm around Yori and used his other hand to grab Melodious Man.

"Bye, Kim." He called behind them. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do… Well, on second thought, maybe you should."

Kim slammed the door and blushed furiously. Shego watched her impassively.

"You're still here?"

"I didn't think the get-out was directed at me."

"Maybe it was." Shego purred, her expression dashing from blank to alluring in a matter of moments. "What would you have done?"

"Overstayed my welcome." Kim responded. She walked towards her source of warmth, a moth to the flame.

"You've been doing that from day one."

"And I'll keep doing it, if you'll let me."

"Doesn't that miss the point?" Shego scooped Kim up into her arms. "If you overstay your welcome, then I wouldn't be letting you stay. So logically I can't welcome you overstaying your welcome."

"Shh." Kim whispered. And this time it wasn't her finger against Shego's lips that silenced the surly older woman, but her mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>NA: **Thanks for sticking with me. This is the final chapter of this excursion, though I may put up an epilogue of some sort. Probably will.


	20. Chapter 20

**Please note:** This story is set outside of Disney's canon universe. I will attempt to keep the characters true to form, but certain requirements of my alternate universe will impress changes upon them.

**Warnings:** Mild violence, Homosexual relations, Mild language.

* * *

><p>Chapter 20<p>

In Which a Hero Gets an Epilogue

Kim toed the television screen, trying to jab her digits against the volume control. Shego had hidden the remote to tease her, but she had been unwilling to beg for the device. The local news channel was doing a special about Montgomery Fiske's insurgency. Although Kim had little interest in most of it, she had given an interview and was eager to see how she looked.

"You're really going to watch this trash?"

"It's not all trash."

Shego snorted as she returned to the room. Because both of them had received stipends from the city for crime fighting, they had been able to afford a newer apartment with a little more space. However Shego's old television had come with them, mostly because Shego didn't want to get rid of technology that hadn't broken yet. Kim thought, though, that Shego was fond of the old thing and couldn't bear to part with it.

"When's your interview? Do we have to watch all of it? Or can we just wait?"

"I don't know when it is, and I'm not going to miss it."

After sliding a bowl of popcorn along their coffee table, Shego eased herself onto the couch and curled her arm around Kim's shoulders.

"Fine, I guess."

"Shh, it's starting."

The screen displayed a smiling brunette standing outside the last hideout used by Fiske. She opened her arms and gestured to her surroundings.

"One year ago today, these grounds were home to Montgomery Fiske, known to much of the public as Monkey Fist." She took a few steps towards the door. "We remember today the citizens of this city who lost their lives at his hands, to the business destroyed, and the damages wrought."

Bored already, Shego snaked her hand slowly down to Kim's waist. Kim wiggled away, eyes trained on the screen. Unwilling to be denied, Shego gave a small pinch to Kim's side. Kim mewled pathetically and elbowed Shego back.

"Stop that!"

"Come on." Shego purred. "This isn't your interview."

"I know that, but still!" Kim resisted. "I know how you get."

"How I get?"

"Yes. Once you get going, it's impossible to make you stop."

"What if I told you I'm already going?"

"Shego! What if I told you I'm watching this show whether you want to or not."

"I promise." Shego held up her hand solemnly, placing her other on an invisible holy book. "I promise that as soon as you're on screen, I'll stop no matter what we're doing and you can watch yourself and stroke your ego."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Kim chuckled. It was a tantalizing promise, especially since she didn't honestly want to watch the reporter's take on what happened. They were, after all, there when everything happened.

"You know I'd stroke your ego for you, if you wanted."

"Shego!" Kim feigned offence, but grinned. "Fine. I accept your promise as a legally binding agreement."

Those were the words Shego wanted to hear. She wasted no further time and pushed Kim down against the couch cushions. Kim wrapped her arms around Shego's neck and pulled the ex-villain's mouth to her own. Shego slid her fingers along the hem of Kim's shirt and tugged it up so that she could trace her fingers on Kim's flat stomach.

Kim jerked back and buried her face into the crook between Shego's neck and shoulder, where she promptly buried the burst of giggles that sprang forth. To avoid further tickling, Shego moved her hands to Kim's chest. All laughter ceased as practiced fingers tweaked Kim's nipples through the thin cloth of her bra. In retaliation, Kim nibbled on Shego's pulse point.

Continuing her ministrations, Shego darted a momentary glance at the screen. Kim's interview had begun, but she couldn't quite make her fingers stop. Ignoring her promise, Shego pulled Kim's bra aside and yanked Kim's pesky shirt up. The moment Shego's tongue hit her nipple, Kim threw her head back against the cushions. To keep from moaning too loudly, Kim twisted her head to the side and nibbled on her lips.

When she opened her eyes, she spotted the television and squealed.

"Shego!"

"Mmhmm." Shego hummed. She was in the middle of trying to work Kim's pants down off her hips.

"My interview!"

"It's recording."

"But-"

"You want me to stop?" Shego finally got Kim's jeans loosened and down. Kim squiggled.

"No." Kim panted. "I guess not."

|x|x|x|

"Ron, pay attention." Yori commanded. She snapped her fingers in front of his face and gradually his eyes focused again.

"Huh?"

"Daydreaming again?"

He blushed. "Yes."

"About food?"

"Maybe."

"Are you sure you still want this training?"

Ron switched the foot he was balancing on and shook the other out. "Yes."

"Then you'll have to pay attention."

Part of him knew he should tell her what he was really thinking about – she could probably help, he figured. But Rufus popped out of his pocket and squeaked at him, the mole-rat equivalent of a 'No! Don't do it!'

"I will." Ron promised. He focused once more on the task at hand – balancing on one foot, on top of a ten foot high pole. Soon enough, though, his mind returned to the occurrence of the previous night.

The evenings at Yori's dojo had taken on a rather monotonous routine, normally anyways. The two would practice together until around eight at night, at which point they would return to their separate quarters to meditate before bed. During his meditations, he'd felt a swelling in his chest.

And that was when the glowing had emanated from his fingers. Though startled, he quickly calmed himself and took control. Through a little experimentation, he discovered that he could bring it out, quell it, and control its strength. Far from being an expert, however, he was worried what would happen in combat.

"Ron-san, shall we go inside?"

Ron reached into his pocket and fingered the small stone that lay there next to his rodent. Shortly after helping in the defeat of Fiske, Yori had allowed him to return to the forest for his spiritual quest. This time he was given the information that he was not looking for a pinecone. What he found instead was a small chest of stones. When the stone was in his palm, he felt refreshed.

Yori called them energy stones. When held by someone with pure intentions, one could reinvigorate the holder. If Kim had been given one during her fight, she would have been more alert and faster. Ron felt a little foolish that he'd given his best friend a pinecone during such an important battle.

"Sure."

He leapt down from his pole, landing lightly. As he trailed behind his teacher and friend, he shrugged his shoulders. Perhaps he was indeed gaining the same powers as Fiske, but it didn't worry him as much as it might have a year ago. But he felt much more capable now of handling it.

|x|x|x|

Betty swiveled in her arm chair and gazed at her new office. As Global Justice had grown in prestige so had her budget. Though at first she had concentrated her finances on helping heroes, they were finally making enough money that she could use some of it on her own priorities. In another office next door, Wade had been outfitted with all the technology he needed. She rarely saw him leave the room, which worried her a little.

"Betty." An image of his face flickered across the screen in front of her.

"What's up, Wade?"

He slurped from a straw connected to a 20-oz soda cup. "Looks like trouble downtown."

"All that sugar isn't good for you."

"Tell that to Du. He fetches it all for me." Wade shrugged. "You stay awake and alert your way, and I'll do things mine."

Betty rolled her eyes. Will Du would do anything anybody in power asked him to do. She wasn't sure if it was his way of climbing the ranks, or if he truly wanted to be so helpful. Either way, he was due for a promotion one of these days.

"Who's available to take care of the situation?"

Wade rattled off a string of names. Betty arbitrarily chose a few heroes and sent out the signal to their communicators.

"We've come pretty far, haven't we?" Wade commented.

"Yes," Betty agreed, "but it was inevitable."

Wade nodded slowly, slurped again, and disconnected. Alone again, Betty swiveled towards her window and stared out at Go City. Things were peaceful now, but she knew it was only a matter of time before another villain got ideas bigger than his means. She'd be ready, and so would a platoon of heroes.


End file.
